Starling Wing - Arrow & Rising Robin Crossover Fanfic
by ReemasB
Summary: Richard Grayson travels to Star City in hopes of tracking down someone from his past, & comes into contact with the vigilantes that have taken up the mantel as guardians of Star City. Sequel to "Rising Robin" & takes place a few days before season five of Arrow.
1. Chapter 1: The Job

**Chpt. I: The Job**

Richard Grayson stared out into the dark, barren road as he drove in under the starry night. He held onto the car wheel with one hand & left his other hand hanging over the rolled down window. The cool breeze made Richard's shaggy hair ruffle in the wind. He let his eyes close shut for a brief moment, taking a second to appreciate the simple bliss of the frozen moment. It had been a really long time since he had last felt this relaxed.

"Hey, Dick, are we there yet?" asked Tim Drake, sitting shotgun alongside Richard. Richard rolled his eyes. The teenaged boy ruined his moment.

"Dude, I'll let you know when we get there," Richard answered.

Tim nodded slowly, then groaned. "Dude, we've been driving all day!"

Richard turned to glare at Tim. "And I can easily just pull over & we can sleep in the car for the night."

"Oh my gosh, no!" Tim cried. "Take it easy, brother."

Richard rolled his eyes. "We're not far, Tim."

Tim waved Richard off. "I'm just busting your chops, man," he sighed. Tim glanced out the window for a few moments. "So what does Bruce think we're doing in Star City again?"

Richard scoffed. "What do you mean? He knows EXACTLY what we're doing."

Tim eyed Richard & arched his eyebrow. "Selling Wayne Tech merchandise to the city's police department?"

Richard nodded, never taking his eyes off of the road. "Yeah, something like that."

Tim shook his head. "Yeah, that's a lie."

"No, it's not," Richard said in annoyance. "Why would I lie about that?"

"Because Bruce raised you," Tim responded. "And, like, he has no reason to want to do that."

Richard clenched his hands around the driving wheel. He took a deep breath. "First off, don't tell me he raised me. He trained me, but I'm my own man. I'm not a liar like him."

"Okay," Tim shot back in a snarky tone.

Richard darted his eyes at Tim, then sighed. "Second, he had been working on attempting to branch out the Wayne brand into other cities, one being Star City. After Queen Consolidated became Palmer Tech, a lot of Bruce's assets in the company went with it."

"So he needs to reach out to the police department of the city to get his name out there?" Tim asked.

Richard shrugged. "Yeah. That's what he was getting at in his board meeting. I let him know I'd work on that for him if he liked. He didn't object."

"So he ever APPROVED?" Tim emphasized.

Richard rolled his eyes. "It's fine."

Tim nodded. He began picking at his fingernails slightly. Richard noticed that Tim had the tendency to do that. It was an odd little characteristic that Richard noticed he picked up on. Tim cleared his throat. "You know, Star City recently got a huge boom in vigilante activity."

Richard bit his lip. "So I've heard."

Tim turned to Richard, grinning softly. "Is there any particular vigilante that we may or may not be interested in hunting down or something?"

"What? No, dude," Richard grunted. "This is purely business, Tim."

"Alright, alright, I believe you."

Richard nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the road. He tried so hard to set this up. Richard really did take the time to attend some of Bruce's conferences to see what needed to be done at Wayne Enterprises to make business run smoother. Richard kept in mind the recent struggles that Bruce had been dealing with, so he took it upon himself to try & make work at Wayne Enterprises as efficient as possible. Richard took it upon himself to suggest rebranding Wayne Tech in Star City to Bruce, who was reluctant to approve the action, but did so anyway. Richard took his time to study the current events in Star City to be prepared for anything that may come in between him & his goal with Wayne Tech.

Of course, studying the current events of Star City meant a whole lot more than what it should mean.

Star City fell victim to an earthquake-styled terrorist attack, followed by the city being sieged by genetically enhanced soldiers, then an attack orchestrated by the League of Assassins. Most recently, a madman named Damien Darhk with mystical abilities attempted his own terrorist attack on Star City as well.

However, this was all a joke to Richard.

The genetically enhanced soldiers were created under the command of Slade Wilson, who Richard had encountered during his time working alongside the Titans unit. The Justice League had requested that the Titans apprehend Slade after he had escaped an Argus prison on a remote island near the North China Sea. By doing so, Slade had grown a certain grudge against the Titans, but, against Richard especially. The League of Assassins had invaded Gotham briefly, & as it turns out, Bruce had history with some of their upper level leaders. Richard was never involved in that fallout, though. As for Damien Darhk, well, mysticism & magic wasn't new territory for Richard.

Along with the bad events, some good came out of it. The Arrow vigilante was born, only to be revealed a few years later that the Arrow was in fact Roy Harper, & that he died in prison soon after his identity was revealed. This bothered Richard, as he knew who Roy really was, & what had really happened. When the new Green Arrow vigilante appeared, Richard put one & one together. He knew Roy had covered for whoever the real vigilante was. However, it didn't necessarily matter.

Roy was on the run, but he was safe. Despite Roy not being in Star City, there was plenty else to do in the city thriving with crime. For example, the other number of vigilantes that had appeared after the death of the Black Canary DID, in fact, catch Richard's attention. However, Richard wasn't particularly interested in them. There was a number of suspicious murders that Richard was tracing all across the Eastern seaboard. No one could know about that, though.

There was the recent drug trade activity to account for, though. A crime boss known as Tobias Church had made his way from Blüdhaven to Star City, looking for new territory to overcome. Richard hadn't let him succeed in Blüdhaven, & he wouldn't let him in Star City.

"You're doing it again," Tim said, breaking Richard's train of thought.

Richard looked at Tim. "What?"

Tim sighed. "You're thinking. Not like planning your lunch kind of thinking. You're doing the intense thinking where you're orchestrated a whole other plan."

Richard gave Tim a soft smile. He turned back to the road. "I have prep for the meeting tomorrow."

Tim groaned. "Dammit, Dick. Why can't you just let me in on whatever it is that's going on."

"You're not ready for this," Richard responded too quickly. He glanced at Tim, then cleared his throat. "You can't come to this meeting. It's gonna be with Mayor Queen & the head of the police department. It's not somewhere for a kid to be."

"I'm not some little unintelligent boy, Dick. I can hold myself up in a business meeting."

"Tim, Wayne Enterprises can't be represented by a 17 year old kid. Just hang tight, man."

Tim groaned once more in bratty fashion. Richard seriously did not want him involved with the board meeting that would take place the next morning. Richard actually did want the meeting to go well. It probably would.

Richard was more concerned about Tim getting in the way of what he was going to do tonight, though. The job was bigger than Tim. Richard had to face him himself.


	2. Chapter 2: Hunt

**Chpt. II: Hunt**

Richard sat at the desk of the hotel room at the Star City Plaza Hotel. Richard typed away at his laptop, working on the portfolio that he needed for the meeting the next day. If the city liked his presentation, Richard would need to offer other merchandise, which he would lay all out in the portfolio.

Richard sighed. He glanced at his phone's clock. It was 12:27. Richard glanced back behind him, observing Tim in the bed across from Richard's. Tim was sound asleep. Richard felt a sudden relief. He could begin.

Richard glanced back to his laptop, but switched to a different desktop that had other information tucked away for him. It was a feature he had Harper Row fix for him, & one that he very much appreciated. He began accessing the traffic cameras around Star City, cross referencing them with individuals with masks. He was looking for a particular masked vigilante, but it was hard in the city where suddenly everyone donned a mask in order to protect the people. Richard felt like he was the first to join the vigilante game...aside from Bruce.

As he scanned, Richard sat back in his seat. He was nervous. He was actually nervous. So much had happened in Gotham, but with the recent trails left across the coast, Richard couldn't deny what he was seeing. He was sure it was him. He needed to find him & be sure. He owed him that much.

The screen flashed with a matched result of the vigilante. The suspect came up in a white hockey mask. "Hmm," Richard mumbled. He would be running around in a mask if he was back. Maybe it was him.

Richard glanced back behind him, noticing Tim's slumber. If he was going to make his move, he had to do it quickly.

Richard stood up from the chair & made his way to his luggage. He knelt down beside the luggage, set aside by the window, & unzipped it. He opened the luggage up & removed his business suit that was hung in a suit bag. He then removed a smaller case from inside the luggage & opened it. Inside was the suit that Harper Row had helped him design when he moved to Blüdhaven. It was a modified version of his stealth suit that she helped him make when he broke into the Cadmus facility years ago. It was black with blue etching on it, & it had a reflective blue band that went across the front of the suit, near the chest. It was pointed downward, resembling a blue bird. Richard felt he had to pay homage to his previous title that he had lived by. The material of the suit was made of same polyfiber material that was used on Richard's first Robin suit, designed by Bruce & Alfred. Richard made sure his suit was the same bulletproof material that was also lightweight, like his previous suit. It made everything that he did more efficient.

Richard slid his pants off of his legs, then stuck his legs through the pant holes of the suit. He then removed his t-shirt, tossed it on the ground, then slid the armored top over his body. He reached inside of the case, where an eye mask was kept. Richard placed it over his eyes, letting the mask take form over the bridge of his nose. It was designed specifically for the mold of Richard's face, & he loved that. It was made for him. It was HIS mask, HIS calling, not one of a follower of another.

Richard reached inside of the case & grasped the two small rods that were inside. They clicked together to make a much larger staff. Richard gripped it tight in his hand, letting the familiarity of the weapon return to his hand's muscle. It had been a while since he used it. It was his first weapon, also designed by Harper. She made it for him to use in the Cadmus raid, & after becoming Robin, he used another model designed by Bruce. It felt good to use the original weapon again. Of course, Harper had it touched up with some slight modifications.

Richard slid the weapon over his back, into the slit where the night staff clicked, & approached the window. Richard opened it & glanced back at Tim once more. The boy was still asleep. He felt horrible for keeping Tim in the dark about this, but, he just wasn't ready. Richard had to do this alone.

Richard stepped out onto the ledge of the opened window & leaped out into the Star City night.

* * *

Richard stayed perched over the edge of the rooftop. He was glancing down the alleyway, where his phone had triangulated the estimated location of the masked vigilante. If he was anywhere in the remote area, he would be somewhere near the alley.

Richard sighed. He suddenly began to wonder what he would do when he saw him. Would he attack him? Would he talk to him? What would he say? What COULD he say, after all these years? Richard ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He couldn't get this emotional so soon, & he couldn't risk letting himself be unprepared. He needed to wait.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out through the dark streets. Richard stood upright swiftly & ran towards the sound of the gunshot, turning the opposite direction. He made his way across the rooftop, where he leaped over the large gap between two buildings, & smoothly continued to run across the second building. He made it to the edge & peered down, where he saw a thug struggling with another thug for a gun. Both were engaged in combat, but neither were winning. After a few moments, the two shifted positions, & Richard caught sight of the vigilante in the hockey mask.

Without a second to spare, Richard leaped off of the edge, landing feet first on the ground. He slowly stood upright, watching the two struggle for the weapon. "Hey!" Richard called out in his taunting voice. The two turned, startled at the sudden appearance of another person. "What's all the fuss about, boys?"

Suddenly, the two shoved one another, sprinting down the alleyway. Richard followed suit, feeling his mouth rise to a slight grin. He effortlessly leaped up against the wall with one foot, & reached into his utility belt for a small Winglet, & tossed it. The winglet snapped open, releasing a tight steel string that wrapped itself around the thug's ankles. He tripped, falling face first into the ground.

Richard ran past the suspect, continuing to chase after the vigilante. Richard ran faster & faster, feeling his heart pumping fast & his breathing grow steady. He was so much better at this than he was when he first started.

The vigilante was caught at a dead end, with a large fence blocking his way through. The vigilante grunted, then turned to face Richard. "What do you want, man?" the vigilante cried through his hockey mask. He had a thick accent. Was it...a Brooklyn accent?

Richard shook the accent out of his head, not dwelling on it. "You're not from around here, are you?" Richard called out. "This city already has someone watching over it at night. They don't need Jason Voorhees playing 'superhero'."

The vigilante scoffed. "I could say the same to you, homes."

Richard waved his fingers towards himself, inviting the vigilante to attack. "Show me what you got, brother."

The vigilante threw his fists up, then lunged at Richard, swinging his fists & jabbing hard. Richard dodge each attack with ease, sidestepping & blocking with no struggle. After countering the last move, Richard leaped up, kicking the vigilante in the chest with both feet. The vigilante fell back, & Richard landed in a small split. He stood upright, just in time for the vigilante to regain his footing & lunge once more for an attack. With the use of his momentum, Richard was able to dodge his attack once more, but force the vigilante's body into the air with the slightest toss. The vigilante was knocked into a trashcan. Richard approached the vigilante once more, but the vigilante landed a quick jab in. Richard felt his face sting slightly, but it hardly hurt. The vigilante swung another fist, but Richard easily dodged it by bending his back backwards, feeling the motion of his opponent's arm swing over Richard's chest. Richard stood up & kneed the vigilante in the gut, then tossed his body to the ground.

Richard stood over the hockey masked man, watching him cough & struggle to stand up. Richard removed his staff from his back & pressed the end of it down on the vigilante's chest. The vigilante cried out in pain. Richard scoffed. "Relax. This COULD electrocute you if I wanted it to."

The vigilante began to panic. "What do you want, man? You want info? I got info! You need connections? Names? I know people. I got the names of dealers, if you want 'em! You can buy from 'em, kill 'em, whatever you need, man!"

Richard arched his eyebrow, attempting to place the man's accent. Richard sighed & grabbed the chin of the hockey mask, lifting it up over the man's face. The mask revealed a young, hispanic man with dark eyebrows & a scruffy beard. The man was not who he thought he was.

Richard grunted. "Who the hell are you?"

The vigilante coughed. "I'm just a guy trying to do something for his city."

Richard bit his lip. "I've been there. I can understand that." Richard stood up, removing his staff from the man's chest. "Make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew, man. We're not all cut out for this burden."

The man stood up slowly, clutching his stomach. "And you are?"

Richard gripped his staff tight, activating the electric probe at the ends of the staff for a brief moment. "Yeah, I'd say I'm qualified for this." Richard looked up & down the man. He scoffed at his blue bulldog jersey. "More qualified than you, Mad Dog."

The man glanced down at his shirt & groaned. "Man, hop off," he grunted.

Suddenly, Richard heard footsteps. Richard glanced down the opposite end of the alleyway to find the silhouette of a man standing over the body of the tied up thug. His body was outshined by a streetlamp. The silhouette reached down to grab the man by his collar, then looked down Richard's way. Richard stared back nervously, although he did his best to not show it. He heard the Mad Dog guy run towards the high fence & attempt to climb it. He continued to struggle for a few moments, then managed to make it across to the other side. All while he did this, Richard stared down the silhouette, attempting to figure out who exactly he was eyeing down.

Richard took a step towards the silhouette, but quickly stepped back when he heard police sirens. Richard had to move. He wasn't in Blüdhaven anymore. He couldn't follow his own rules at night, not with the Star City police.

Dammit, he was supposed to see the head of the SCPD tomorrow for the meeting.

Richard gripped his hand tight in a fist, but as he looked back up at the silhouette, it was gone as fast as it had appeared.


	3. Chapter 3: To Fight the Monsters

**Chpt. III: To Fight the Monsters**

Richard stepped out of his black Chrysler & looked up at the Star City City Hall. He adjusted the collar of his fitted blazer & wiped his shoulder with his right hand. He glanced down at his briefcase in his left hand & gripped it tight. He felt more than prepared to sway Star City in his favor.

Richard walked up the stairs leading to the front doors & entered the building. He made his way through the front lobby, approaching the receptionist's desk. He smiled as the receptionist looked up at Richard. She was an older lady, possibly mid-thirties, with long brown hair flowing over her shoulders & thin framed glasses. She was rather pretty.

Richard cleared his throat. "Hi, my name is Richard Grayson. I represent Wayne Enterprises in Gotham City."

The receptionist smiled at Richard, then glanced down on a legal pad on her desk. "Ah, yes, Mr. Grayson. Your clients are already waiting for you inside of the office. I'll go ahead & escort you."

"Thank you," Richard said as the receptionist stood up from her seat & began to lead him away from the lobby, down into a long wide open hallway. The hall was sleek & modern, along with the rest of City Hall. It seemed newer than what Richard imagined it would have looked like. Richard also considered the amount of attacks in the city, & suddenly the possibility of a redesign of City Hall didn't seem so far fetched.

The receptionist led Richard to two large doors. "You may step in, if you like."

Richard nodded & reached for the door handle. He pulled on it, letting it open slowly. He walked inside of the conference room, where two men were standing. One was a police officer & one was a suit, both conversing casually. Over to the side, where the conference table was, a young woman sat. She had short brown hair & was pale. She had bright green eyes that were heavily focused on some documents that she was already reading. She wore a pencil skirt & a loose white button up. She looked as old as Richard, which put him to ease. Richard didn't catch sight of the Mayor.

The woman looked up at Richard & smiled as he shut the door behind himself. "Mr. Grayson," she said. The woman stood up & walked around the table, passing the two men, & approached Richard. She held her hand out to Richard. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

Richard took her hand in his, shaking it. "Likewise," he said with a charming smile. He glanced around the room. "Mayor Queen-"

"Won't be joining us this morning, I'm afraid," she explained. "But I'll be standing in his place during your presentation."

Richard eyed the woman for a brief moment, then smiled. "Wait a minute," he said. "Ms. Thea Queen?"

She nodded. "Yes?" she asked, confused.

Richard let out a soft laugh. "I'm sorry, it's just that the last time I ever saw you, it was on the news, & you were REALLY young." Richard stepped back & looked at Thea once more. "Thea Queen, filling in for her big brother as Mayor."

Thea smiled softly, almost blushing. "Yeah, he gets busy with some side projects for the city, so I'm more than capable of handling his meetings."

Richard nodded. "I bet you are," he remarked, arching his brow. He set his briefcase on the table, catching the two gentlemen's attention.

"Mr. Grayson, I'd like you to meet Captain Pike & Lieutenant Conahan of the SCPD," Thea said. Richard shook the suited man's hand, who he assumed was the captain out of uniform. He then shook the officer's hand, who he assumed was the Lieutenant. Richard nodded with a faint smile, then stepped towards the end of the table. The two men sat down on one side of the table, while Thea sat across from them. Richard reached for his briefcase, where he removed a folder containing documents from Wayne Tech, his laptop, & a large envelope. He placed the envelope on top of his briefcase, then held the documents in his hand for a brief moment, scanning over the content one last time. He set it down, then cleared his throat & looked at Thea Queen. "Do you feel safe?" he asked suddenly.

Thea, Pike, & Conahan each exchanged looks among one another. Richard continued. "Yes, as of right now, we have two SCPD officers in this room, & further down this hall are two, possibly three security guards making their rounds around the perimeter. But who's to say that someone can't just barge in right now, guns blazing, & shoot each of us right now? Who's to say that I'm actually another public menace who came here to shoot the Mayor? I mean, your receptionist didn't even ask me for identification. I could kill each of you right now."

Richard noticed Thea's confused stare gradually fade into an intense stare, almost angry. She didn't seem frightened of Richard's hypothetical. In fact, she seemed as though she was prepared for him to make a move against her.

Richard cleared his throat & smiled. "Obviously, I'm not a crazy guy with a gun. I'm not going to kill any of you. I'm just a businessman trying to make you an offer."

"Okay, what exactly is this offer?" Captain Pike asked harshly. Richard turned to Pike, taken back by his sudden aggressive tone. "You're threatening our lives & the Mayor, but, I don't see a product. We were told Wayne Tech had something to offer our department."

Richard nodded. "We do." He reached for the documents & handed them to Captain Pike, who began reading them extensively. "Those are the schematics for something Wayne Tech has been conjuring up in our labs. It's this synthetic material that we're developing out of nylon. We're trying to make it as tough as any piece of kevlar, but we're also working on making it way more lightweight."

Pike nodded. He slid the documents across to Thea, who began reading them as well. "You said 'trying'," Pike noted. "Has Wayne Tech made it work?"

Richard grinned. "You tell me." Richard reached for the envelope & opened it. Inside was a small black glove that he had brought from Wayne Tech. The glove was that of a prototype that Bruce & his engineers had designed based off of Bruce's initial concept for his original suit. Obviously, the material was cheaper, but almost as effective as his own suit.

Richard slid the glove on his left hand & flexed his fingers. He then glanced over to Lieutenant Conahan. "Are you carrying right now?" Conahan nodded. Richard held his right hand out. "May I?"

Conahan placed his hand on his holster. He was reluctant to pull the gun out, & Pike glanced between Conahan & Richard with uneasiness. "Whoa, no, no," Pike hissed. "Do not hand a civilian your weapon."

"It's fine," Thea interjected. The three men glanced at Thea, who waved her hand at Conahan. "It's part of his presentation."

Conahan glanced from Thea to Pike, then from Pike to Richard. Conahan sighed & removed his gun from his holster, placing it in Richard's hand. Richard stepped back from the table, a few feet away from the group, & removed the magazine from the gun, checking to see if it was loaded. Richard then clicked the magazine back into the gun, set the safety off, & gripped the gun tightly in his right hand. It had been a while since he held a gun before. He stretched out his left arm, pointing his left palm outward, & held the gun in his right hand, close to his face. He stared down the barrel of the gun, aiming down the sight of the gun. He pulled the trigger, causing the gunshot to ring throughout the conference room. Nobody screamed, but he saw Thea flinch from the corner of his eye.

Richard kept his left hand outstretched, but slowly walked towards the table. He slid the gun across the table, towards Conahan, & placed his left hand down on the table. Pike, Conahan, & Thea each crowded around Richard's hand. They could see the imprint that the bullet had made on the glove, but it merely bounced off. Richard then removed the glove, placing it on the table as well, & allowed them to examine his hand. There was no bruising, no scratch at all. Richard was unaffected from the gunshot.

"And that's just a glove," Richard remarked. "We're capable of using this material to develop suits with these bulletproof properties. It's better than kevlar in both weight & strength, & Wayne Tech's synthetic material can completely replace the Star City Police Department's standard equipment."

"This isn't military grade?" Pike asked.

Richard shook his head. "Wayne Tech DID borrow some designs from military contractors, but those designs were never approved for combat. Wayne Enterprises bought the designs from the U.S. military & redesigned it into something entirely different, using our own patent. It took several years to perfect this, but we did it."

Pike & Conahan nodded in interest, both smiling at one another. They were obviously impressed. Richard glanced at Thea, who held the glove in her hand. She began inspecting it herself.

"So why is Wayne Tech offering this to Star City?" Lieutenant asked Richard. "Why doesn't the GCPD use this for themselves?"

Richard sighed. "Well, they do, but we felt the need to branch out with this revolutionary tech. Especially now, where in the last few years, Star City has fallen victim to countless amounts of citywide attacks. The Undertaking, the Mirakuru soldiers, the biochemical weapon attack by those freaking ninjas, & Genesis Day. How many people died in those devastating attacks? How many lives were lost? Now, consider how many of your brothers in blue perished defending this city against archers, super strong monsters, & magic-wielding madmen. Central City has managed to upgrade their department to engage in metahuman conflict, but, what about YOU? Star City still has monsters to face. To fight the monsters, you need REAL battle armor."

Pike nodded slowly. Richard noticed Lieutenant Conahan nodded as well, seeing his eyes tear up slightly. Richard glanced to Thea, who was staring right back at him. Richard bit his lip for a moment, unsure of whether he should say what was on his mind. He cleared his throat, then swallowed. He looked up at Thea. "Laurel Lance died to protect this city. No one else needs to die, anymore."

Richard noticed Thea gasp softly, as if he had caught her off guard. She wasn't expecting to hear that from him. It was a good point, though.

"I'm in favor of stocking our department with this," Captain Pike said. "I think it would actually help save a few more lives, especially going up against these crazy people in this city."

Conahan nodded. "We just need your approval, Ms. Queen."

Richard turned back to Thea, who was eyeing the policemen. She turned back to Richard, who was trying to slide a contract over to her. Thea smiled softly. "Actually, you need Mr. Queen's approval. I can't sign off on this."

Richard eyed Thea. "What about filling in for your brother?"

Thea shook her head. "He's the Mayor. I'm just filling in for the meeting."

Richard nodded, sighing an exasperated sigh. "Well, alright then. I'll leave these with Mr. Queen to look over when he gets back, & you can have his people reach out to me to finalize this."

"We'll see," Thea said.

Richard eyed Thea once more, suddenly confused as to why her attitude on the deal was so turned off. Richard walked over to the officers & shook their hands, thanking their service to the city, & said goodbye to Thea. Richard then picked up his glove prototype & placed it within the envelope & tucked it in his briefcase, along with his laptop. He walked out of the conference office, making his way down the long, pristine hallway. As Richard made his way across the front lobby, he felt a soft touch on his forearm.

Richard turned around to find Thea standing behind him. Richard smiled softly. "Hi, again."

Thea gave Richard a faint smile. "You did well today with your presentation, Mr. Grayson."

Richard nodded slowly. "Thanks. So why did you not want to sign off on the contract?"

Thea sighed. "I wasn't lying about not being able to sign the deal. It actually needs to be Mayor Queen's signature."

Richard smiled. "Okay, well, that leaves me with a bit more ease."

Thea crossed her arms over her chest. "This product is legitimate, right?"

Richard arched a confused eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Thea stepped closer to Richard, bringing the conversation down to a soft murmur. "This product that you're bringing to me, was it authorized to be manufactured by Wayne Tech?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah, it is. Bruce Wayne signed off on it himself."

Thea slowly nodded, piecing together what she would say next. "This material...do you think it can be used for other purposes other than law enforcement?"

Richard was now confused. He stepped closer to Thea & bent down to whisper in her ear. "What are you getting at, Queen?"

"I have a contact that may be able to get this synthetic material to the Green Arrow," Thea said.

Richard stepped back & looked at Thea's green eyes. They shined with sincerity. "The Green Arrow?"

Thea nodded. "I can make this deal happen, whether it's with the SCPD or the vigilante." Thea eyed Richard up & down. "You come from Gotham. I know you've seen your share of mask wearing vigilantes too."

Richard grinned at Thea's sudden moxy. "Yeah, I have." Richard cleared his throat. "Listen, sweetie, I'm not authorized to provide this man a whole new set of equipment, if that's what you're asking." Richard stepped away, beginning to make his way to the front door. "Set up a meeting with him for me & we can work out the logistics."

Before Thea could oppose his proposition, Richard had already made his way through the front doors of City Hall. Things had turned out better than he had expected. Not only had he managed to almost close the deal with the Star City Police Department, but he had also managed to get one step closer to finding the Green Arrow. Maybe he knew something that could help Richard find the vigilante he was looking for.


	4. Chapter 4: Our Burden to Hold

**Chpt. IV: Our Burden to Hold**

Richard sat at the desk of his hotel room, scanning the city's surveillance cameras for more vigilantes. He came across the vigilante in the hockey mask a few more times, but after finally catching a surveillance shot of him without his mask, Richard cross-referenced it with the SCPD database. He sighed at how easy it was to hack into the department's mainframe. He had Harper to once again thank for designing such a simplicit & efficient program on his computer.

The results came up with a Rene Ramirez, with only a few charges of disorderly conduct. Aggravated assault was nothing that worried Richard, but still, it was nice to place a name with a face.

Richard continued to examine the surveillance footage of the city's traffic cameras, looking out for his target. It was starting to really bother him. He normally never took this long to track someone down. Was Richard losing his touch? Did he need to go out & beat some more men down to get some information?

He couldn't. This wasn't his city. He didn't have the right, at least not right now.

Richard thought back to the previous night, where he took down Ramirez. Someone was there that night, standing over the thug that Richard tied up. Was it his man? Was he that close, & Richard missed his shot? Or was it the Green Arrow?

Richard sighed & rubbed his temples with his fingers. He had several bones to pick with the Green Arrow.

Suddenly, the hotel door opened, & Tim staggered in. He was carrying several bags of chips in one hand, & a six pack of soda cans in the other. He set the garbage food on the bed & walked over to Richard. "What's up?"

Richard quickly shut out of his computer program, revealing a decoy tab of Wayne Enterprise PDFs & Word documents. "Work. You?"

Tim eyed Richard for a sec, then turned to his bed. "Figured I'd light up a doobie. Do you mind?"

Richard scoffed at Tim. "Yes, I mind!"

Tim rolled his eyes at Richard. "I'm kidding, man. I don't have any herbs on me."

Richard shook his head, turning back to his laptop. "Yeah, well, I may have to check your bags soon. Just to be sure."

Tim nodded. He sat on the bed & grabbed a can of soda. He looked up at Richard. "Well, if you check my bag, then can I check yours?"

"Why?" Richard asked, focusing on the documents that were laid out in front of him.

"To see if you brought my suit."

Richard turned back to Tim, suddenly caught off guard. "What?"

Tim cracked open the tab of the soda. "You know, since you brought YOUR suit. I figured you brought mine too, right?" he said before taking a loud slurp of his soda.

Richard stared at Tim, reading his face. Tim had a stern, serious look. He wasn't bluffing. He wasn't trying to make Richard crack or admit that he had brought his suit. Tim KNEW he had it. He was sure of it.

Richard sighed in defeat. He closed his laptop & turned to Tim. "How'd you know?"

Tim set his can of soda down on the ground, beside the bottom of the bed. He then reached further down from under the bed & pulled out the blue & black suit that Richard wore the night they arrived. "I heard you sneak back into the room & shove this here."

Richard bit his lip. "I can expla-"

"Explain then," Tim shot back. "Don't explain why you brought the suit. I'm well aware as to why you brought the suit. It's a part of you. It's a part of ME. We can't survive without at least a few days without letting ourselves do what we do. We're hardwired to fight & help, Richard. THAT much, I understand. Even when we're not supposed to be, we do. But that's not why I'm pissed."

Richard watched Tim speak. He could see his eye twitching. Richard had actually hurt Tim. Richard made him break, causing him to snap at him. Tim was always the calm & collected type. But he had it all wrong. He didn't come to Star City because he needed to be save the city.

"I want to know why you didn't think to ask ME for help," Tim said. "Why didn't you let me know what you were doing?"

Richard sighed. He stood up from his seat & sat on the bed next to Tim. Richard rubbed his hands on his thighs, struggling to find the words to say. He didn't want to have to tell Tim. He was given no choice, now. He didn't want to lie to him. He didn't want to be like Bruce.

"This is really hard for me to say," Richard started. He sighed & rubbed his face with his hands. He stared straight ahead. "It's not that I didn't trust you, because that's not it. This has nothing to do with who you are, or what you're capable of. You're our Robin, & you're a hell of a good one. But...this isn't something that I think Robin can help me with."

Tim furrowed his eyebrows. "What, only Nightwing can take this job on?"

Richard shook his head. "It's not even me as Nightwing, man. I'm...I need to do this as Dick Grayson."

Tim stared at Richard. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. He let out a frustrated sigh. "You lost me, man."

Richard nodded. "Right." He glanced at his knuckles & massaged them for a moment. He felt his palms grow sweaty & his chest become heavy. He didn't know how to come out & say it. "You...you know why I'm with Bruce, right?"

Tim nodded. "He adopted you, & you trained as Robin with him, & now you're handling his business division in Blüdhaven."

Richard nodded. "Yes, but...I'm also around to train the next Robin."

Tim looked down at his feet. "Me."

"You," Richard said. "But...you know that we weren't the only other Robins, right?"

Tim nodded. "Yeah, there was someone else before me other than you. Bruce never really talked about him."

Richard sighed. He felt his fist clench. Of course, Bruce would never speak of him. Why would he? He was Bruce's greatest failure, & he could never admit to his own defeat. That cold, stubbornness that Bruce was filled with enraged Richard. After seeing the Bat in Bruce, he could never unsee it. That was all he ever was, & that's what made Richard want to leave Gotham.

"His name was Jason Todd," Richard said. "He became Robin after I left to lead the Titans."

"Right, I heard about the Titans unit," Tim said. "Bruce said that I might join that one day."

"Maybe," Richard said, his voice trailing off.

Tim looked up at Richard. "So what happened to Jason?"

Richard bit his lip. His throat felt dry. He didn't want to tell Tim. It would be too much. It would scare him, possibly drive him away from Bruce, from the suit.

No, he had to be honest.

"He died," Richard grunted.

Tim stared at Richard. "Wait…"

Richard turned to Tim. "You never saw the suit Bruce kept, right?"

Tim shook his head. "What suit?"

Richard shut his eyes tight, opening them again. He fought the tears. "Bruce kept a bronze replica of the suit Jason died in, as a reminder to himself of what he lost." Richard turned to Tim & continued. "He went after the Joker one night without backup."

"What the hell, why?"

"To make Bruce proud," Richard shot back. Tim gasped softly. Richard sighed, releasing a shuddered breath. "All he ever wanted was to make Bruce proud. His dad was a deadbeat criminal, so when he died, Jason had no one. Jason got caught in some bad group of people, & when I found him, I managed to turn him away from crime. But...I guess he wanted to do what Robin did. I guess he tracked down the Bat, & Bruce knew that Robin was away in Jump City with the Titans, so he decided to just make a new Robin. But it wasn't the same. Not for either of them. They both drove each other too far. Bruce tried to make Jason like me, & Jason kept trying to make Bruce see him for HIM. They both had way too high of expectations for each other…& that's when Jason decided to do the one thing that no Robin, or Batman, could ever do."

"Kill the Joker," Tim mumbled.

Richard nodded. "But that's the thing. You don't kill the Joker. We've never been able to outsmart him, outwit him, outlast him. Even with Jason's rage, he couldn't beat the Joker. Instead, he got carried away & didn't see the trap he was walking into. The Joker & that clown girl he drags around beat Jason down to a pulp with a crowbar, then set the cabin on fire."

Richard saw Tim's face grow more & more solemn. "I help Alfred bury him myself," Richard added. "But...something happened."

Tim arched his eyebrow. "What?"

Richard walked over to his laptop & opened it again. He opened up Harper's program & began retrieving files that he had saved previously. "These were taken in Gotham a few months ago," Richard said, playing back one of the videos.

Tim approached the laptop & bent over to get a good view of the video. Richard had showed Tim a video of a man in a tattered, muddy white shirt & dark jeans. His hair was black, but some red was shown in his roots of his hair. The man was stumbling down the street, limping, clutching his stomach with one arm.

Richard clicked on the next video, revealing the same man on the sidewalk. He had fallen, & was unable to get up. After a few moments, a car had pulled over to the curb. A young couple got out of the car & helped the man into the car & drove away. Richard paused the video, then clicked on the man's face. After a few moments, a GCPD file came up on the screen. It was Jason Todd's criminal record.

"That's him?" Tim asked.

Richard shrugged. "It looks like it. I checked the grave after seeing this, & it was dug up."

Tim gasped. "Does Bruce-"

"No," Richard said. "Only Alfred & I know. Al is the one who sent me this file & helped me keep tabs on this. After a string of murders occurred in Gotham where they all seemed to be attempting to frame Bruce, I came into town & offered Bruce help around the office. Al & I investigated the murders, but the trail went cold."

"It did?"

"For a while. Then the same murders were happening Coast City. After a few more days, they stopped, but the next closest place that a similar murder occurred was. I didn't hesitate to make my move. I got Bruce to let me handle Wayne Tech's business here, & came straight to Star City."

Tim nodded. Richard sighed. "I brought you because I didn't want to leave you alone with Bruce, in case he found out what I was doing."

Tim looked up at Richard in sudden fear. "Why?"

Richard shook his head. "Bruce hasn't been taking care of himself lately. He...lashes out more often."

Tim nodded, letting everything soak in. He looked at the photo of Jason on the laptop screen. "He was Robin?" Tim asked.

Richard nodded, watching Tim. Tim stared at the picture with a sense of admiration. Tim had never met Jason. He thought the legacy ended with Richard & him. Richard felt his gut drop at the idea of their legacy, boy after boy, fighting over & over for Bruce. Richard was afraid that someone would get hurt one day. That day came for Jason. And yet...Bruce let Tim don the mask.

"Wait," Tim said. He leaned closer to the screen, reading carefully at a description left under Jason's record. "It...says he was part of Nolan Drake's milita."

Richard sighed. He forgot that that was on the record. "Yeah...that's how I first met Jason."

Tim looked up at Richard. "You...you were there. When Nolan killed Mayor Sharp, &...when he released the fear gas on City Hall, you were there."

Richard nodded. "Yes."

Tim took a deep breath & stared at the screen for a few minutes. Richard never talked to Tim about his older brother. Apparently, Bruce didn't either. Richard didn't like to think about Nolan. He tried so hard to move passed that part of his life, but...it wasn't easy. Nolan damaged Richard on so many levels. Nolan hurt too many people & crossed too many lines. Richard almost killed Nolan, but...he didn't. He could've, but he didn't want to sink to Nolan's level. Richard still wondered if it was worth letting him live.

"Are the things people said about him true?" Tim asked.

Richard bit his lip. "Tim…"

"You said you're not like Bruce," Tim said. "You're not a liar. So don't lie to me now."

Richard stared at Tim's eyes. They were watery, but conflicted. He wanted to be angry at Richard, but he was scared. Was he scared of Richard's answer?

"Yes," Richard admitted. "It's all true. All of it."

Tim blinked away a tear, but Richard continued. "I knew him. Bruce knew him. Jason knew him too. He knew your brother better than me, maybe. I'm not sure. But once we figure out what he's doing, & try to bring him home, you can ask him anything you want."

Tim nodded. "I guess…"

Richard placed a friendly hand on Tim's shoulder. "I'm sorry I kept this from you. I couldn't bring myself to place this heavy burden on you."

Tim wiped the tears from his face & sniffed. "Dick, man, you're not the only one this matters to. I'm a Robin. This is OUR burden to hold."

Richard smiled softly. He glanced to his Nightwing suit. "Well, I only brought mine."

Tim let out a soft laugh. "That's okay. I didn't leave Gotham without mine."


	5. Chapter 5: The Hood

**Chpt. V: The Hood**

Richard perched himself over the edge of the building, trying to get a good view of the city skyline. It reminded him of Gotham in some ways. At night, it still lit up with nightlife. At night, the monsters still came out to play. The city's new mayor wasn't doing his best to clean out the crime that overrun the city. In fact, Richard almost felt the desire to stay behind to help clean up.

Tim approached Richard from behind & knelt down beside him. "What do you see?" Tim asked.

Richard turned to Tim, taking a moment to get used to seeing another boy in the Robin suit. It was much more sleek than his original suit, with a thinner cape & a more toned down yellow hue. Richard turned back to the city. "I see a hell that's trying to be as bad as Gotham."

Tim laughed. "Nothing is as bad as Gotham."

Richard let out a soft chuckle, then rose up. Tim stood up alongside Richard. Richard turned to Tim. "There are more people at night suiting up & fighting crime, not just the Green Arrow & his team. There are rogue vigilantes that seem to be fighting on their own, without having any affiliation with the Green Arrow."

"So, what, we're looking for a rookie vigilante?"

Richard shook his head. "The opposite, actually. We're looking for someone with Bruce's fighting style & training techniques. So anyone who you see, masked or not, who's fighting with a novice skillset-"

"It's not Jason," Tim said. "Got it."

Richard nodded. He began walking over to the opposite end of the building they stood atop. Tim followed. "Hey, Dick," he started, "How do you think it happened?"

"How do I think WHAT happened?" Richard asked.

"Jason...like, coming back?" Tim stepped closer to Richard. "Do you think he's a zombie now?"

Richard thought back to the supernatural entities that he had encountered. Raven was a half-demon. John Constantine was a Master of the Dark Arts & the occult. Zatanna was an expert on magic & mysticism, but could any of them revive the dead?

"No," Richard grunted. "He's not a zombie."

Tim shook his head. "You don't know that," he said. "I mean, you fought alongside an alien princess. Who's to say that resurrection is a fiction?"

Richard turned & glared at Tim. Tim held his hands up defensively. "Alright, point taken," Tim whined.

Richard resumed making his way across the rooftop with Tim trailing along. "What makes you think that Jason is out there committing these murders?" Tim asked.

Richard turned back to Tim, wondering why he was asking so many questions. Richard turned back to the streets, scanning for anything suspicious. "Each murder victim was some low level thug, whether they were a drug dealer or an arms dealer. Each one was either shot, strangled, or stabbed to death. Left behind, along with each of the bodies, was a Batarang."

Tim gasped. "He's trying to frame Bruce."

"Or at least get his attention," Richard said.

"But you & Alfred never told him?"

Richard shook his head. "We didn't want him to put the pieces together if it DOES turn out to be Jason. I had Commissioner Gordon keep the cases discrete, making him promise not to make a move unless I find out the truth."

Tim nodded. He cleared his throat, then looked up at Richard. "Gordon," he mumbled. "How's Barb?"

Richard sighed. "I...I don't know, man. We're trying to make it work."

Tim nodded solemnly. Richard didn't like talking about him & Barbara. Her father could barely look Richard in the eye without tension building between the two. He blamed Richard for what happened to Barbara, & Richard felt responsible. He shouldn't have let her join Bruce in his crusade against crime, but he didn't stop her. Her overzealous passion for fighting crime like the Bat, like her father, is what got her in the wheelchair. Of course, Tim probably didn't know about that either. Bruce never seemed to inform Tim of who had previously worked with him. He probably didn't want Tim to know the dark truth of fighting alongside Bruce.

Suddenly, a car began driving down the road, passing the building Richard & Tim stood atop of. He watched as the car drove around the block, & slowly parked alongside the nearby docks. Two men exited the vehicle & began walking down the pier. One man was carrying a paper bag in his hand. The other man was carrying a gun.

"You're seeing this?" Richard whispered.

Tim nodded. "Yep." Richard noticed Tim pressing against his eye mask, causing the mask to glow a soft white hue. Tim had taken the time to adjust the mask himself, designing his own algorithm which created a night vision for Tim. Richard always envied the boy for having a more superior intellect when it came to technology.

Richard pressed on his earpiece, creating a two way radio signal between him & Tim. "Alright, Robin. I'm going to circle the perimeter, keeping my distance. If my theory holds up, these two guys should lead Jason straight to us. Do not engage unless I give the signal."

Tim nodded. "Copy that, Nightwing. I'm taking my position here," he said, kneeling over the edge of the building.

Richard nodded & leaped off the edge of the building, landing softly on his feet. His feet felt a strange tingle as he landed on the ground from such a high height, but his shock-absorbent boots kept him from damaging his legs.

Richard brought himself down to a low crawl & began making his way towards a large pile of crates, creating cover for him to hide behind of. Richard peered around the corner, trying to get a better look at the suspects. The thug holding the paper bag was a skinny man, wearing a beanie & a dark baggy hoodie. The man holding the gun was larger, wearing a black t-shirt & dark jeans. His arms were large & muscular, covered with tattoos. He was clearly the man to be on the lookout for.

"Think he's coming?" the skinny man asked the tattooed man in a low, hushed voice.

"Yeah," the tattooed man said. "Why wouldn't he?"

The skinny man shrugged. "I don't know. Jaime didn't give us a name, so we have no idea who's meeting us."

"Jaime's a good kid," the tattooed one said. "He's smart, too. He wouldn't set us up."

The skinny one shrugged. He glanced into the bag & sighed. "Stardust? Is this really even gonna make the market?"

The tattooed one nodded. "After Vertigo, something has to keep our customers buying."

Richard placed his finger against his earpiece. "Robin, did you catch that?"

"Negative, Nightwing," Tim called through static. "I didn't hear them. But watch out, you've got company."

As soon as Richard heard this, a motorcycle engine hummed its way around the block, with its rider driving down towards the dock. On the bike was a large, built man in a brown leather jacket & a red motorcycle helmet that glistened in the moonlight. He had two handguns strapped onto his legs, which dangled as he sat up from his motorcycle. The biker walked towards the two men on the docks, not taking his helmet off. As the biker walked passed Richard, he noticed the biker's helmet didn't have an actual visor. The red helmet was entirely smooth, with only two slits through the top for a place for the biker to see through. It was something Richard had never seen before.

"Boys," the biker called out in a deep, hoarse voice. "You came."

The tattooed thug nodded. "Yeah, we take our work seriously, man."

The biker let out a low laugh that echoed underneath the red helmet. "I bet you do."

The tattooed thug glanced towards the skinny man, then back at the biker. "You want it, or not?"

The biker's head shifted towards the skinny man subtly, giving Richard the eerie sensation that the biker was some sort of robot. He turned back to the tattooed thug. "You brought the Stardust?"

The skinny thug held out his hand, holding up the bag. "Got it," he called out.

The biker approached the two, causing them to back up slightly, & reached inside of his jacket. Richard prepared himself, but was brought back to ease when he only saw an envelope being removed from his jacket. The biker opened the envelope & removed the wad of cash that was inside. He began counting it in front of the two men, but engaged them in conversation. "So how do you two know Jaime Reyes?" the biker asked.

The skinny one turned to the tattooed thug & nudged him, making him answer. "I really dunno," the tattooed thug answered. "The poor kid just showed up one day from Texas. He said he needed a fresh start, to get away from stuff. I don't know what brought him up here, but he somehow got caught up with our business."

Richard listened carefully to the conversation. A young boy, travelling from home in hopes of starting a new life for himself, only to get caught up with the wrong sort of people. It reminded Richard of himself in many ways.

The biker let out another unsettling laugh. It sounded almost mechanical, giving Richard the sensation that the man was indeed a robot. "'Somehow got caught up with our business,'" the biker quoted the thug in a sarcastic tone. "That's not an answer. Nothing is uncertain. There is ALWAYS a reason; a cause & effect. He wasn't just randomly caught up with your boys. You know exactly why he's with you, don't you?"

The tattooed thug's arm flexed, & his grip on the handgun he held tightened. "Watch your place, brother."

The biker continued counting the dollar bills. "No, you watch YOUR place. You are a drug dealer, & I am trying to buy drugs from you. That is it. That is our arrangement. However, you're right. It definitely isn't my place to be concerned about some random kid, but it definitely isn't your place to bring a young kid in a business like that either." The biker finished counting the dollar bills & handed the money to the skinny thug. "But you weren't interested in having JUST the kid work for you, were you?"

The skinny thug hesitated to grab the money. Before he was given a chance to try otherwise, the tattooed thug pointed his handgun towards the biker. "Reyes is Sampson's boy. If you're tryna steal our boy, you've gotta make your way up to him."

"Your boy?" The biker growled underneath his helmet. "You mean your WEAPON?" The biker scoffed, moving closer towards the man's gun. "You think you can just ruin a kid like that? Low lives like you, your scrawny bitch here, & Derek Sampson are the reason why more young kids are dying day by day, falling into the wrong crowds. You take them, you make promises that you can't keep, & they die on the streets for YOUR mistakes. Especially a kid like Jaime, he shouldn't have to be anyone's lapdog."

"So what, you're gonna rescue him from our crew?" the tattooed thug said, smirking. His grip on the handgun tightened as he unclicked the safety on the pistol.

The biker shook his head. "He already killed half your boys downtown. All I did was give him a pep talk."

The two thugs glanced at each other, fear stricken across both of their faces. Suddenly, the biker had grabbed the tattooed thug's arm & brought his forearm down against it, snapping his arm. The thug clung to his broken arm, dropping the handgun. The biker grabbed the handgun before it fell to the ground & held it up at the two thugs, slowly backing away.

"Now?" Tim suddenly cried through Richard's earpiece.

"No, I think I've got this," Richard whispered, slowly making his way around the crates he was hiding behind. He decided to try to apprehend the biker himself, unsure of whether this was actually the man he was looking for.

Richard made his way towards the biker & watched as he held the thugs up with the gun. "Hand me the Stardust," the biker grunted. The skinny one tossed the back towards the biker & held his hands over his head. The biker caught the bag in one hand & held the gun towards the tattooed thug. "Hands up," the biker hissed. The thug raised his arms up slowly over his head, furious that he was being held up by his own weapon.

The biker shot the two thugs instantly, dropping the handgun on the ground near the bodies, along with the cash. "Someone will come for that," the biker grumbled to himself.

Richard stopped in his tracks, startled by the gunshots. He didn't expect this man to actually shoot the drug dealers. Richard held his breath for a moment, considering what his next move should be. He definitely shouldn't startle the man, but he couldn't let him get away. He needed to get him to talk.

Before Richard decided on his course of action, the biker turned around & jumped at the sudden appearance of Richard. "Who the hell are you?" the biker called.

Richard held his hands up low, defensively. "Just another concerned citizen, like yourself."

The biker was quiet for a moment. Richard couldn't see the biker's face underneath the helmet, but he could feel his intense stare burning through Richard's skull. "I'm not a concerned citizen," the biker grumbled.

"Oh? So that whole thing about poor little Jaime joining a gang, that wasn't you being concerned?" Richard asked.

The biker shook his head. "I was hoping to rattle a little guilt out of those scumbags, but you know people. They just don't give a damn anymore."

The man made Richard very uneasy. He seemed to be holding onto so much rage & anger, projecting about something. Or...someone. Was it really him? "Why steal drugs from these guys?"

"I'm a junkie," the biker spat.

"So why'd you kill your dealers?"

"They're roaches. You kill one, like, seven come right out of the trash."

Richard scoffed. The man was impossible to talk to. Richard wanted this to be Jason, but...he couldn't be him. He seemed colder, angrier. It just didn't make sense. If this was Jason, why would he travel all the way to Star City just to interfere with a random drug ring? Who was this Jaime Reyes he was talking about?

"Who are you?" the biker asked. He stepped towards Richard. "I can tell you're not from around here, because you don't carry a bow & arrow."

Richard shrugged. "Like I said, I'm just another concerned citizen."

The biker kept walking towards Richard, who took small steps back, as he was unsure of whether to be nervous around the biker or not. "You work with the Green Arrow?" the biker asked.

Richard shook his head. "Do you?"

The biker shook his head as well. "I ride solo," he answered.

Richard nodded. He heard his earpiece suddenly ring with static. "Are you two just going to chat it up?" Tim asked. Richard raised his hand to his ear to keep the earpiece from ringing too loud.

The biker staggered back. "What was that?" he called. "Was that you? Who else is here?"

Richard shook his head. "No one is here, man. It's just us right now."

The biker sped off, running towards his bike. He leaped onto it, turning on the ignition. Richard had spooked the man. He had to act fast.

Richard raced after the biker, who was about to speed down the pier when Richard reached into his belt & whipped out a Winglet. The Winglet stuck onto the bike, but unfortunately, continued to speed away. Richard ran after the bike, running faster & faster after the biker. He was so close to answers. He couldn't let him get away so easily.

Richard breathed heavily, having trouble catching up to the biker. The biker whipped his head back to catch sight of Richard. The eye slits on his helmet began to glow white. It wasn't just any ordinary helmet; it was tech.

Before Richard could see it happen, he felt a blade pierce his chest. Richard doubled back, falling over as he ran towards the biker. He skidded across the ground, rolling over. He groaned as his head snapped around, being tossed as his body flipped. He caught sight of the biker speeding off into the night.

"Nightwing!" Tim called, racing down the pier, towards Richard.

Richard groaned, struggling to stand. Tim raced over & placed his body under Richard, giving him support to stand. He glanced down to examine what exactly stabbed his chest.

"Did you get anything out of him?" Tim asked.

"No," Richard grunted, bringing his hand up to his chest. A small, black blade was sticking from his chest, but not deep enough to pierce entirely through to his chest cavity.

"I could've helped," Tim said.

"I had it under control," Richard responded, trying his best to not let his patience wear thin with the boy. He pulled the blade from his chest & lifted it high up for him to examine. "Did you mean to swing this at the dude with the helmet?" Richard asked Tim.

Tim looked up at the blade, then back at Richard. "Dick, I swear I didn't toss one," Tim answered, his voice shaking softly.

Richard eyed Tim, then looked back at the blade in his fingers. It was carved into the shape of a bat.


	6. Chapter 6: The Mayor

**Chpt. VI: The Mayor**

Richard laid in bed, staring up at the roof above him. He had his hands laid back behind his head. He attempted to steady his breathing, letting his eyes close shut. He felt his chest rise & fall to the beat of his heart, but even as he tried to relax, he couldn't. His mind continued to race & his thoughts fled, bouncing around his skull like millions of lightning bolts bursting all around his mind. His thoughts bounced from Bruce to Barbara, from his scattered team to the League, from Jason to the Green Arrow. So much has gotten to Richard, drilling anxiety into his mind.

Richard sat up in the bed. He always had a hard time meditating, putting his mind to ease. He could never do it on his own.

Tim had gone downstairs, to the restaurant in the lobby for the free continental breakfast. Richard was too tired to make his way down, & the boy didn't hesitate to leave him behind for the pancakes & bacon. Richard decided to take the time to examine the Batarang that the mysterious biker left behind the night before.

The biker must have been Jason. Who else would use Batarangs at those murder scenes?

Richard was suddenly startled by a vibrating coming from the nightstand in between the two beds. Richard sat up in the bed & reached over to the nightstand, slapping his hand over his phone. He brought his phone up to his face & scanned the screen. He was getting a phone call from an unknown number. The area code was one from Star City.

Richard swiped the answer key & brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hello, is this Mr. Grayson?" asked a deep voiced man.

"Yeah," Richard answered slowly. "Who am I speaking to?"

The man cleared his throat. "This is Oliver Queen. I'm calling on behalf of my sister in regards to your presentation this week."

Richard gasped softly to himself. The Mayor of Star City was calling Richard personally. Was this even ethical? Why hadn't Thea just sent a receptionist to leave him a message. "Pardon me, Mr. Queen. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping we could talk face to face. Have you had breakfast yet?"

* * *

Richard parked his car along the curb of the breakfast join that Oliver Queen was meeting him at. Richard felt unprepared for this; being alone in a public spot with the Mayor. He was only supposed to sell his product to the Mayor in his presentation, which the Mayor wasn't even there for. Maybe that's why he felt the need to see Richard today; to make up for his absence that morning. Still, it seemed odd. What did he really want?

Richard took a deep breath as he walked around the car, up into the front patio of the restaurant. He needed to relax. His paranoia had become a natural thing for Richard.

Richard approached the blonde haired man in the suit & scruffy beard. The man turned & stood as Richard smiled softly. "Good morning, Mayor Queen," Richard said.

Oliver Queen smiled, holding out his hand. "Please," he said. "Call me Oliver."

Richard nodded, shaking his hand. "Alright, Oliver." Richard sat down on the chair opposite Oliver's. "Thank you for inviting me out this morning."

Oliver waved Richard off. "Please, it's the least I could do after skipping out on your presentation the other day. It was so rude, & I apologize."

Richard shrugged. "I didn't mind. Your sister was polite enough, to be honest."

Oliver chuckled softly, glancing at his glass of water. "Yeah, she's something else."

Richard cleared his throat, glancing around the restaurant. It was still early, but, there weren't a lot of people in the restaurant. A waiter hadn't even shown up yet. It felt strange to Richard. "So," Richard started. "No security detail?"

Oliver smiled. "I, uh, don't necessarily need a security detail."

Richard nodded. "I understand," he said, smiling softly. "My boss feels the same way. Multi-billionaire, but, God forbid you put a suit with a gun on his ass every minute of the day."

Oliver laughed out loud, really appreciating Richard's upfrontness. "True. My first day back in the city, I shook off my security detail. From that day, we established that I don't need one, but he sticks around for appearances."

Richard nodded, chuckling softly. "Yeah, you billionaires are a hoot."

Oliver eyed Richard, smiling. "I guess," he said.

The two sat awkwardly at the table, exchanging quick glances at one another.

Richard cleared his throat. "Did you order something?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, I went ahead & got us both a dish. It'll be out soon." Richard nodded, & Oliver continued. "I figured it would give me a chance to discuss your product with you."

"Oh," Richard said. "Um, sure. I mean, I went over most of the details with your sister, but, sure. What else do you want to know about it?"

"Why is your company offering this to us?" Oliver spat back, anger lying in his undertone.

Richard raised an eyebrow, suddenly confused. Was Oliver Queen...mad? "Why...are we selling our bulletproof material to your police department?"

Oliver Queen nodded. "It just...doesn't make sense to me. Is Wayne Enterprises trying to buy this city off?"

Richard nodded. "No, no. This is purely business. We want our brand to stretch far, placing our name in products sold outside of Gotham. We recently lost assets in Star City when your old company, Queen Consolidated, was bought by Ray Palmer. We established back in Gotham that we would need to use another tactic, & providing the city's policemen with state of the art armor was what our board decided on." Richard scratched his head. "I...feel like that would have been a good thing."

Queen eyed Richard for a few moments, as if attempting to read his facial expressions. "It's just something that I needed time to think about, & with my sister running the offices, I hadn't had a chance to put my own input."

Richard nodded. "Okay. Well, that's why we're here now, right?" he asked, attempting to lighten Oliver's solemn mood. "Go ahead. Let's talk this out."

Oliver sighed. "This armor, according to our SCPD representatives, is incredibly lightweight, & withstands a lot of firepower. Nearly indestructible. I like this idea. This...this is revolutionary, & would definitely save lives in our department. With the way this city has changed, I feel like this is a major gamechanger."

Richard nodded slowly. "So...you LIKE the tech?"

Oliver scoffed. "I love it, Richard. I just don't know if I'm ready to put that kind of technology in the police department's pocket."

"In their pockets," Richard said, letting the words sink in. "What's wrong with the police department having this?"

Oliver sighed, then bit his lip. He glanced around the patio, then leaned forward towards Richard. "Over the last few months, this city's law enforcement have been becoming more & more compromised. They're corrupted, & their on someone else's payroll."

Richard gasped softly. "Wow. Sounds a lot like Gotham."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I just...I can't let you make this offer, Richard. It's nothing personal, but, I just can't let the department have this technology."

Richard bit his bottom lip. He felt frustrated. He missed his chance at getting a hold of Jason, & he was losing the Mayor as well on this deal. Was there anything he COULD do right? "What makes you so sure that your police department is actually being bought off?"

"Well, evidence has gone missing. Crime bosses are getting tipped off with intel only our department has. There are more than a handful of officers that are dirty, but I'm doing my best to put together a unit that I can trust personally to handle what I really need done."

Richard nodded. "This is that side project Thea mentioned?"

Oliver smiled. "Yeah, it's coming together."

Richard sighed with a bit of relief. Maybe it WAS good that the deal didn't fall through. He wouldn't want to be held responsible for anything that would happen in Star City after he left.

Suddenly, Thea's odd request came into Richard's head.

"Hey, speaking of your sister," Richard started.

"No, you can't ask her out."

"What? No." Richard shook his head. "No, it's something else. Thea rejected my product as well, but for totally different reasons. After my presentation, she took me aside & personally asked that...I sell this to the Green Arrow."

Oliver stared at Richard, a sudden worried expression washing over his face. "Oliver, I think your sister is working alongside the Green Arrow vigilante."

"She's not," Oliver shot back.

Richard eyed Oliver. His response was almost too quick. Oliver cleared his throat, beginning to explain. "She...she isn't working with the Green Arrow. However, the vigilante has ties with several civilians in Star City, so, it's not a major concern."

"You're not worried that she's in business with a vigilante?" Richard asked Oliver, showing actual concern.

Oliver shook his head. "No. The Green Arrow has helped this city through a lot. I trust his work, & wherever he's made his appearance, I can't help but feel somewhat safer." Oliver took his glass of water & took a ship. "Plus, I hear that where you're from, you have a man dressed as a bat instead of Robin Hood."

Richard eyed Oliver Queen intensely. He felt the Mayor mocking his legacy. He grew up under the wing of the Bat, & Oliver...was mocking the very thing that birthed the man he grew up to become? "I guess vigilantism isn't all bad," Richard sighed.

Oliver shook his head, grinning. "Maybe not." Oliver sat back in his seat, confidence radiating around himself. "Your bulletproof material really would be great for vigilantes, though."

Richard furrowed his brow at Oliver. The man was beginning to make Richard uncomfortable. Did...did he know who Richard was? "I would need authorization to make the product available from you. Without it, my company could get sued."

Oliver nodded. "Understood. I apologize for my sister's odd offer. She shouldn't have asked you to do that, & you have no reason to ever think you have to do so."

Richard nodded. "I know."

The two sat in silence. Richard suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He felt as though Oliver Queen was calling him out as a vigilante. There was no way he could know though, right? He had only been in town for two days, so there was no reason for him to have any inkling of a suspicion of Richard, right?

Or was he just getting sloppy?

Richard shook the thoughts out of his head when the waiter finally arrive with their breakfast dishes. It was a gourmet omelette with crispy bacon & a slice of whole wheat toast. It made whatever he made back at his apartment look like garbage out of an alleyway. Richard sighed, swallowed his pride, & began to eat the exquisite meal.


	7. Chapter 7: False Savior

**Chpt. VII: False Savior**

Richard sat in his hotel room on his laptop, researching news & internet articles from Star City from the past few years. With Tim out sightseeing around the city, Richard had plenty of time to do his due diligence & find out more about this city's savior. What was so special about the Green Arrow that even the Mayor put his trust into him?

Richard pulled up articles from the events of Genesis Day. Eyewitnesses described the event as an all-out war on the streets, with chaos & havoc taking over during the hysteria. With the city under threat from a nuclear warhead, the city rioted. At some point, Damien Darhk had confronted the rioters on the streets & telepathically sent them onto their knees, forcing them to kneel before Darhk. Richard shuddered at the very thought of a psychotic madman making a whole society kneel & obey him. His thoughts strayed to Nolan Drake. Richard took a deep breath, pushing the thought of him from his head.

The eyewitnesses placed the Green Arrow at the scene, confronting Damien Darhk. The magic-wielding foe was no match for the Green Arrow, as his arrows couldn't pierce the madman's magic. However, with the hope & support of Star City behind him, the Green Arrow led the city into the battle that will forever be known as the Genesis Day battle, where thousands of Star City civilians fought alongside the Green Arrow to defeat Darhk & his men. The Green Arrow stabbed Darhk with an arrow, saving Star City.

Richard took a deep breath. He shook his head. Why was it so hard for him to believe that this vigilante was not any different than Bruce, or himself? After all, he did stand up to defend his city from a massive threat. Citizens renounced the Green Arrow as their hero, their savior, their guardian angel. So what was it about the Green Arrow that made Richard want to slit his throat?

Richard suddenly saw an article on his web browser titled " _Roy Harper - Arrow Vigilante Found Dead in Prison!"_

Richard sighed. He thought back to when he first met Roy, being beaten up in an alleyway outside of the Gotham City Police Department. Nobody was stopping to help him, so Richard stepped in, kicking the thug's ass. Richard was a little pipsqueak back in the day, & Roy was just trying to do some good. When he enlisted Richard's help in searching for his missing older brother, Richard couldn't refuse. The two of them had encountered metahumans, alien princesses, half-demons, & much more. He trusted Roy with his life, even after Roy revealed his vigilante lifestyle as a red archer known as Arsenal. But...after Nolan Drake's arrest, Roy had gone into hiding. He knew he had exposed himself, along with Rachel, Koriand'r, Victor, Logan, & Conner. The others had no problem getting inducted into the League, but Roy fled. Richard was never sure why.

And then he died. As the Arrow.

Richard clenched his fists. The stupid guy took the fall for someone else as the Arrow. Roy was covering for someone, & now he was in hiding AGAIN. His life, ruined. Everything he had done to save his older brother, all for nothing. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't.

Then a year later, the Green Arrow appears, announcing himself to Star City as a public figure.

Richard couldn't wrap his head around the fact that the Green Arrow has gotten away with making his appearance in the streets without people drawing the conclusion that the Green Arrow is essentially the Arrow. Logic just didn't seem to exist in this city. Richard knew that the man Roy took the fall for long ago was still active as the archer, & Richard needed to confront the bastard & get some answers.

He also needed to find Jason, before he killed again.

Richard sighed. Everything seemed to be getting out of his hands. Richard felt so helpless. But he couldn't really go to anyone for help, could he?

It all just didn't make sense. Why was Jason running out there, killing random thugs? Was there an investigation he was conducting? Was he running on a trail? Was it even actually Jason? After all, Richard found a Batarang, but, anyone could manufacture their own design of Batarangs, right? That was a possibility.

Possibility...how was it even possible that Jason would be alive?

So many questions. Someone had better give Richard some answers.

"Hey, Dick," Tim called from the front door, walking in with a bag of Big Belly Burger in one hand & a soda in the other.

Richard turned back, glancing at Tim. He minimized the screen on his laptop & sighed. "I didn't hear you come in." Richard's eyes dropped to the fast food bag. "You got me something, right?"

"Hah!" Tim scoffed. "You're funny." Tim sat down on the bed behind Richard's chair & set the food down on the ground. He took a sip of his soda, then sat upright to get a good look of Richard's laptop. "Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing," Richard mumbled.

Tim giggled softly. "Are you watching something you shouldn't be?" he joked.

"Tim, shut up," Richard grunted.

Tim sighed, walking up towards the desk. "Dude, seriously. What ARE you doing?" Richard didn't speak for a moment, prompting Tim to continue. "You're not a liar, remember?"

Richard nodded. "Right, right. I'm sorry." Richard reopened the tab that he minimized on his laptop & cleared his throat. "It's just about the Green Arrow."

"The Green Arrow?" Tim asked. "What, you're researching him?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah. I...I just don't trust this guy."

Tim stared at the computer screen, then glanced at Richard. "Have you met him?"

"No," Richard answered.

Tim shrugged. "I don't see what the problem is, then. We've got vigilantes crawling out of every dark hole & every crime scene. Star City has theirs, you know?"

Richard sighed. Tim didn't know much about the Green Arrow, other than him maintaining his activity in Star City. He didn't know about Arsenal, or who he was. He didn't know what this meant to Richard. But that was okay. One burden at a time for the boy. Plus, this had nothing to do with Tim. Jason was a real concern.

Just as Richard opened his mouth to speak, a beeping noise began to subtly beep. Richard reached for his cell phone & glanced at the screen. His advanced GPS system was alerting him that his tracker was activated.

"What's that?" Tim asked.

Richard sat up from his desk. "The tracker I put on Jason's bike. I think it traced him to a location."

Tim grinned. "Oh, man, alright. I've been dying to suit up."


	8. Chapter 8: Fallen

**Chpt. VIII: Fallen**

Richard ran across the rooftops of the Star City urban jungle, with Tim trailing behind him. The two managed to get across the city without the daylight revealing either of them. They had begun to follow their lead, which had brought them towards a restricted part of Star City. There were roadblocks preventing cars from pulling up towards the lot, & further down were white tape strips going across the block, mostly blocking off one specific section. It was a large statue, possibly a monument, with a black tarp placed over it. Facing the front of the monument was a man in a brown leather jacket & a red helmet.

Richard sighed as he caught sight of the man. "Do you think that's really Jason?" he heard Tim ask from behind him. Richard bit his lip, not wanting to answer just yet. He wanted a straight answer for himself.

Richard stood up on the rooftop & walked towards the ledge, then dropped down a few stories on his feet. He had begun to get the hang of his smooth landing again. Richard walked past the roadblocks, crawled underneath the white tape, & made his way towards the suspect.

The man chuckled softly, letting his laugh echo mechanically underneath his helmet. "Found your tracer," he started. He lifted his hand up, revealing Richard's Winglet tracer from the night before. "Haven't used one of these little cuties in a while."

Richard stepped closer to the man, who had his back turned to him. The man continued. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner, man. The new suit...the little blue bird across your chest is new to me, but I dig it. Better than the cowl that he tried to make you wear."

"Jason," Richard gasped. "Is…?"

The man placed his hands on his helmet, then twisted it to the left, causing the helmet to click off. The helmet hissed as he removed it from his head, revealing dark black hair. The man turned around, holding the helmet under his arm. The man was roughly Richard's age, with shaggy, sweaty dark hair hanging loose over his forehead. A small portion of his bangs was bright white, alarming Richard for a moment. His chin was chiseled, & he had a soft stubble across his lips. Underneath his brown leather jacket was a kevlar vest. On the vest was a spray painted symbol. It was a red bat. "Hey, Dick."

Richard felt his heart skip a beat. It was really him. Jason Todd, in the flesh. He was standing right in front of Richard, after all these years. He wasn't dead. Right?

Suddenly, dark thoughts crept into his mind. What if this was an imposter. This looked like Jason, but...what if someone was just posing as the fallen Robin, just to screw with Bruce & Richard? What if this man wasn't Jason at all? What if this was just a clone, like the ones he found in Cadmus? Could this be just another joke?

What if this was, in fact, another joke? What if it was...a JOKE?

"Dick, say something man," Jason whimpered. "I'm freaking out here."

Richard scoffed, his train of thoughts suddenly breaking. "Yeah, me too, man."

Jason cleared his throat, walking towards Richard. "I can imagine you have a lot of questions."

"You're damn right, Jason," Richard spat back. "What the hell happened to you? How the hell are you even here right now? Aside from that, WHY are you here? Like, HERE in Star City? Why have you been killing, Jason? What have you been doing?" Richard paused to catch his shaky breath. "And why the hell didn't you come to me, man?"

Jason sighed. "I just woke up, man. I was in that cabin, where the Joker left me to die, & then the bomb went off, & I was out. I...I was dead, Richard. I was actually dead. I saw it, man. I saw Hell. It was cold & dark & empty. So empty, man."

Richard let the words sink in. It scared him. Jason made him so scared & nervous. Did he...lose his mind?

"It felt like waking up from a long nap., but then I realized I was buried alive. I had to bust my way through the coffin & claw through 8 feet of dirt. I didn't know who I was or where I was for a while, but….eventually, I did. I got far enough into Gotham to remember what had happened to me."

Richard nodded softly. "You were murdered."

"No, I was executed," Jason growled. "The Joker executed me in front of a camera & sent it to Bruce. He broke my bones, & then he broke down my mind. He showed me what Bruce had done to me, what he let me do. He showed me that Bruce's moral code is what got me killed."

"Jason, no," Richard cooed, walking closer to the old friend.

Jason stepped back. "Bruce never killed him, did he? After he killed me, Bruce never went after him. Am I right?" Richard stood silently. "He never would. Bruce never would let himself kill again. He 'would never sink that low', huh?"

"He taught us that, Jason. The line that separates us & them will always be blurred thin, but he always wanted us to never stray from that."

Jason laughed a low laugh, almost maniacal. "After I was kidnapped & beaten to death on that chair, he looked into the camera & said 'Bruce, you're one bad day away from becoming me.' I didn't realize what he meant...until now."

Suddenly, Richard felt a slight presence to his left. He glanced over his shoulder & saw Tim, standing in what looked like awe.

Jason stared back at Tim. His face slightly contorted into a subtle disgusted look. "What...what the hell, Dick?"

Richard cleared his throat, glancing between Tim & Jason. "Tim, this is Jason Todd...formerly known as Robin. Jason, this...is Tim Drake. The new Robin."

Tim slowly stepped closer towards Jason. His hand moved slightly, as though he wanted to reach out to touch this man. He looked up at Jason like he was something more than just a man in a red helmet. He looked up at Jason like he could save his world.

Jason stepped back from Tim & shot an angry glance at Richard. "Drake? This...this isn't Nolan's brother, is he?"

Richard nodded slowly as Tim stepped back, shrinking away in slight shame. "Yeah, Jason. It's his little brother."

Jason let out a loud laugh. "Hah! Oh, man, isn't that poetic? Bruce takes his time to pick his new Robin out of the gutter that Nolan came from? Oh, that's rich."

Richard placed his hand on Tim's chest. "Give us a minute, Tim," he said. Tim took a few steps back, then walked into away from the lot.

Jason scoffed as he watched the new Boy Wonder disappear. "I shouldn't be shocked," he grumbled.

"Jason, he's heard stories about you. All he ever wanted was to meet you," Richard said, defending the boy.

"Well, I'm so sorry to disappoint," Jason grunted. "I can't be what everyone wants me to be. Look where that got me."

"Jason, let me take you home. Let me help-"

"Help? You can't HELP me, Richard. You don't help the dead. The dead don't want anything, Richard. The sooner you get that through your head, the better." Jason turned & walked towards the tarp covered monument. Richard followed behind, stopping before Jason. The former Robin continued. "You know, this is gonna be a statue. The city is building a memorial for Laurel Lance. You know who that is?"

Richard nodded. "The Black Canary," he said softly.

Jason nodded back. "The Black Canary." Jason turned & looked up at the statue. "She died the night that Damien Darhk broke out of prison. She fought alongside the Green Arrow, Spartan, & Speedy. You know who they are, don't you?"

The Green Arrow's name rang in Richard's ear. He felt his fist clench. "Yeah, I know who the Green Arrow is," Richard said.

Jason arched his eyebrow. "You think he stopped to think about the consequences of bringing a poor, innocent woman into his crusade? You think he ever stopped & wondered what would happen if someone ever died beside him one night? Do you ever think he stopped & considered that a magic wielding monster would might kill one of his own?" Jason scoffed. "No, neither did Bruce."

"Bruce thought about that, everyday," Richard said. "He trained us to he could protect us, but also so we could protect ourselves. He knew what we were risking when he joined him, & you knew as well. So did I, & so did Tim. He never forced us to do anything."

"No, but he DID!" Jason growled. "He used our naivety to take & take, taking advantage of us & our love for the rush at night. He used us, took all that we could give, & once one of us was gone, he would just put another poor kid in that damn suit!" Jason pointed up at the monument. "I can guarantee you that the Green Arrow will put some other girl in the Canary's suit too!"

"Jason, stop!" Richard cried.

"These vigilantes will create their own army & put people's lives on the line, but expect us to not kill? That's where the line is drawn, Dick. That's where the bad guys win, & we lose." Jason opened his jacket further, revealing the bat symbol more. "The Bat created me, created my form & my skill. But his code is what got me killed. I'll carry the red as a reminder of the blood that was spilt by Bruce's code." Jason then placed his red helmet over his head, gears whirring as it clicked back onto his suit. "This red hood is a reminder of who my murderer was, before he was the Clown Prince." Jason pointed up from his helmet to his chest. "But together, I'll be the reminder of the Bat's greatest failure, & the Joker's best creation. And once I make myself known to either, I'll kill them. I'm going to kill Bruce & the Joker."

"Jason, please," Richard cried softly.

Jason's hand reached down towards his gun holstered on his hip. "You've dropped the cape, Dick. You've already become something else. Let ME become something else. Don't stand in my way."

Before Richard could open his mouth to respond, something whizzed past Richard's ear, & then Jason fell on his back, clutching his shoulder. "Dammit!" Jason cried, struggling to remove the protruding stick from his shoulder. With one yank, it came out, & blood spurred near Richard. The stick was sharpened at the tip. It was an arrow.

Richard spun around, catching sight of the dark hooded figure standing over the ledge of the building before them. The hood held a bow & arrow up high, aiming towards the two. He shot another arrow near Richard's feet, then swung the bow over the string that the arrow had released, then dropped down onto the ground. He stomped towards Richard. "Step away from the Canary!" the archer called out in a low, hoarse voice.

Richard paid close attention to the green hue of the archer's leather outfit, with hard padding plates across his shoulders & elbows. The green mask over his eyes disguised him enough, similarly to Richard's own black facemask. The archer's stubble beard was a distinctive attribute that Richard made a note of. And his voice...he disguised it, similarly to how Bruce did it over the years. "The Green Arrow," Richard called.

"Who are you?" the Green Arrow called once more, in his threatening low voice. Tim came rushing from the shadows, staff in hand. As he lunged towards the archer, the Green Arrow countered the boy's attack, throwing him to the ground in front of Richard.

Richard grabbed Tim & hoisted him up. He then pushed Tim back behind him, placing his arms defensively in front of Jason & Tim. "Don't touch them," Richard growled.

"I won't ask you again," the Green Arrow said. "Who are you?"

"We're the boys that are going to kick your ass," Jason called underneath his red hood.

The Green Arrow shook his head. "I've seen enough kids in masks in this city, & I've seen enough killers in this city. I'm not going to allow you to do this anymore."

Richard glanced over his shoulder at Jason. Jason knew that the Green Arrow was onto him & was after him. Richard could almost feel Jason's grin stretching across his face under the hood. Richard turned back to the hood. "I'm responsible for these two. They're acting under my supervision. Let me do what I need to do."

The Green Arrow brought his bow up high, aiming at Richard. "No. I can't let you get off easy."

Richard scoffed. "You have your own team, don't you? You look after them, right?"

Jason let out a hack under his hood. "Hah! No, he let the Canary die!"

"Shut up," Tim grunted.

The Green Arrow stepped closer to Richard, the arrow close enough for Richard to see the tip glisten in the moonlight. "Final warning. Step away from the Red Hood."

Richard glanced at Jason, then back at the Green Arrow. He felt the tension hanging over the air, with Jason's sudden silence, Tim's arm shaking behind Richard's, & the archer's steady bow swaying slightly in front of him. Richard looked up into the Green Arrow's blue eyes. "No," Richard growled.

"Then you have failed this city," the Green Arrow spat back.

Within a split second, the Green Arrow & Richard lunged at one another, both with fists raised high above. The Green Arrow landed the first hit, causing Richard to step back, but he managed to hit the Green Arrow in the face as well. The Green Arrow swung his fist back, letting the knuckles tighten as he clenched his bow. His fist hit Richard's face once more, but Richard took the hit with no faulter in his motion. Richard swung his entire body around, bringing his leg up high, connecting it to the archer's head. The Green Arrow fell onto his back.

Jason stepped passed Richard & stood over the Green Arrow. He knelt down beside the archer &, before he could string his bow, Jason threw punch after punch at the Green Arrow's face. After a certain amount of punches, the Green Arrow finally blocked a punch & swung his fist at Jason's helmet, sending him back.

The Green Arrow struggled to stand, but quickly regained his stance as he blocked Tim's lunge at him with his long staff. Tim flipped & swung the staff around the archer, but the Green Arrow continued to block & deflect each swing & blow that Tim laid on the vigilante. Tim's skills weren't enough to beat the archer.

Richard made his way towards the two & removed his staff from his back & snapped it in half, allowing the escrima sticks to hum & glow bright blue with electricity. Richard walked towards the Green Arrow, who was throwing punch after punch, & swung the stick at the Green Arrow. The stick shocked the archer's entire body, causing him to shake & shiver, but the Green Arrow fought the pain & leaped up, swinging his leg high at Richard's head. Richard ducked low, avoiding the swing, then brought his second stick down onto the archer's chest. The archer fell back onto his back, but quickly laced his bow & shot an arrow into Richard's chest.

Richard gasped, feeling the arrow pierce the armor of his suit, but, felt himself calm down as he realized that it hadn't pierced his chest cavity. It didn't harm him. Richard smiled softly & snapped the arrow off of his suit, tossing the broken end to the side.

Jason suddenly grabbed the archer by his shoulders & hoisted him high up, certainly feeling a massive wave of adrenaline heightening his strength. Jason used his right hand to throw several punches at the archer's face, then finally landing a solid blow into the Green Arrow's stomach. Jason dropped the archer onto the ground, where the vigilante spat blood from under his green hood.

Richard walked towards the Green Arrow, with Tim standing to the right of Richard, & Jason following suit on the left. The three of them together brought a certain nostalgic comfort to Richard.

The Green Arrow growled. "What, do you three think you can drive me away from my city?"

Richard shook his head. "We're not the enemies," he responded.

The Green Arrow opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly police sirens blared from behind the archer. The SCPD had been alerted of their presence by the monument site. The Green Arrow swiftly raised his bow up high, shot an grapple arrow onto the roof of a building, then let his arrow carrying him through the air.

Richard watched the Green Arrow disappear over the roof of the building. When he turned back to face Jason, he had also disappeared as well.

"Where'd he go?" Tim cried.

Richard glanced back at the rooftop. "We'll get him back. Head to the hotel, Robin. Don't let yourself get caught."

"But Jas-"

"Now, Tim!"

Tim took a moment to eye Richard, judging his intense command. Tim sighed & ran off, disappearing between an alleyway by a nearby building complex. Richard ran towards the direction that the Green Arrow had gone off to, then began to climb his way up towards the top of the buildings, leaping across the Star City rooftops once again.


	9. Chapter 9: Betrayal

**Chpt. IX: Betrayal**

Richard stumbled his way over the rooftops, doing his best to keep up with the Green Arrow's pace. The Green Arrow wasn't too far ahead, but the man did move fast. His agility was no match for Richard's, though. Richard was just as fast. After all, he was a Flying Grayson.

Richard took steady breaths as he leaped across building gaps, making his way towards the Green Arrow. He watched for the trail of a green blur that the archer created as he ran. Richard watched the movement his his legs as the archer ran, & the swing of his arms. He carried the bow with one hand, & his quiver on his bag bounced ever so slightly, but none of his arrows ever fell out. The hood continued to keep the archer's head covered, concealing his identity.

Richard reached down for his utility belt & grabbed a small winglet. He flicked it at the Green Arrow, & as it flew towards his legs, the winglet bursted, wrapping thin wire around his legs. The Green Arrow tripped on his footing & fell onto his chest, struggling to get up.

Richard ran towards the Green Arrow fast, before he could break free. Richard grabbed the archer by the neck & threw several punches at the man. The Green Arrow swung a fist at Richard, but Richard bent back, dodging the fist. The Green Arrow fell onto his back & sighed. "Who the hell are you?" he gasped, catching his breath.

Richard panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "Nightwing," he breathed.

The Green Arrow turned to Richard. "Where did you come from?"

Richard chuckled, shaking his head. "That's not how we're doing things, Green Arrow. Not tonight. Tonight, you're answering MY questions."

"This is my city," the Green Arrow grunted. "You answer to me."

Richard removed an escrima stick from his back & stabbed it by the Green Arrow's head, slamming it into the gravel on the rooftop. Electric sparks spread across the rocks, creating static. "You are in absolutely no position to ask any questions."

The Green Arrow eyed the stick, then glanced up at Richard. "You're not from around here. Your gear, your fighting technique. The way you look at me. You're not from here."

Richard grinned. "Nice work, Detective. You definitely cracked that case." Richard stood up & paced around the Green Arrow. "Where I'm from, vigilantes are a normal thing."

The Green Arrow nodded. "Yeah, I'm finding more & more every day."

Richard took a deep breath. "With the responsibility of being a vigilante, there comes risks." The Green Arrow glanced up at Richard, keeping quiet. He was either actually interested in where he was going with the discussion, or he was attempting to make a plan to escape captivity. Richard continued. "People in the suit die. Not every night. Most nights, we're safe. Most nights, we get lucky. But some of us pay the price of putting our life on the line every night for the sake of the city. You'd know about that, right, Arrow?"

The Green Arrow sighed. "Yes. I...I've lost people who I brought into my line of work."

Richard knelt down beside the Green Arrow, eyeing his face intensely. "Laurel Lance. I heard that story. It's truly tragic. Same happened to Roy Harper too, right?"

The Green Arrow suddenly turned to face Richard. "What did you say?" he grunted in his deep voice.

Richard scoffed. "Roy Harper, the alleged Arrow vigilante that was apprehended by the SCPD two years ago, then murdered in a federal prison. Although you & I both know that that wasn't what happened, right? I mean, after all, I did just call you by the Arrow, & you didn't seem to be able to distinguish the difference between the Arrow & the Green Arrow."

The Green Arrow kept quiet. Richard laughed softly. "You know," Richard started, "I think it's so funny that the whole city hasn't once considered that the Arrow was never Roy Harper. I mean, how the hell does the city lose a green archer vigilante, then a few months later, gains an almost identical archer vigilante, only to find him placing an adjective in front of his name, & no one questions that? Or maybe the whole city had a small inkling of a theory that the Arrow & the Green Arrow were one & the same, but no one wanted to think about the man who was arrested in the name of the Arrow. No one wanted to think about how a man gave up everything in his life, just so someone else could continue to suit up as Robin Hood, only to then lose ANOTHER partner in combat."

"Enough," the Green Arrow growled.

Richard slammed his escrima stick into the Green Arrow's chest, shocking the man. He kept the stick on the man's chest for a good few seconds, waiting for the archer's pained grunts shift into cries of pain. The archer kept his composure, despite suffering the electrocution. The Green Arrow had a high tolerance for pain. Richard spat in the Green Arrow's face. "That was for Roy Harper."

Richard stood up & was about to walk away when he heard a faint whisper. "You knew Roy?" the Green Arrow asked.

Richard turned back to the Green Arrow & shot him a pained glance. "Once upon a time, yeah."

The Green Arrow nodded softly. He sighed deeply. "He was a good man. He...he had that fire in him, the one inside each of us who want to make a difference & do some good. Roy was one of the strongest, most selfless men I had ever known." The Green Arrow shook his head. "And then he sacrificed everything for me."

Richard felt his stomach flip upside down. He had just admitted to what he did to Roy. "Why did you let him do that? You betrayed him!"

"I didn't!" the Green Arrow growled. "I...I didn't know what he was doing. I thought he really did die in prison. But...he faked his death, making the man under the hood dead, but allowing a chance for another hero to arise. He...he wanted me to keep doing what I've been doing, but under a new name. A new idea, a new beacon of hope."

Richard let the words sink in. He thought to what the city had endured over the last few years. There definitely was enough hell in this city to require a hero, Richard couldn't deny that. RIchard sighed. "It's just...Roy gave up everything. I just don't think it was worth it."

The Green Arrow looked up at Richard. "You'd do the same for the person who made you the man you are today, wouldn't you?"

Richard thought of Bruce, & all that he had done to him, emotionally & psychologically. He thought of the pain Bruce put him through, & the damage that was done to Barbara, & Jason, & pretty soon Tim may break down as well. But when the time came, would he give up everything for Bruce?

"I don't think I would," Richard breathed. "Not for him."

The Green Arrow eyed Richard for a moment, reading his facial expressions. "Nightwing," the Arrow said softly, "would it make any difference if i told you that Arsenal was alright?"

Richard bit his lip. "I know he is," he grunted. Richard ripped off his black face mask from his eyes & stared at the Green Arrow, revealing himself. "But if you ever find him again, tell him Dick was looking for him."

Richard turned to walk away once more, but heard the Green Arrow call out to him. "Richard Grayson?"

Richard spun on his heel, turning back to the Green Arrow. The archer lifted his hood up from over his head, revealing his short dirty blonde hair & scruffy beard. His dark green face mask was still over his face, but he slowly removed it from the bridge of his nose, revealing who he was. Richard gasped when he recognized the man.

Oliver Queen cleared his throat. "Do you mind untying the Mayor's legs, please?"


	10. Chapter 10: Partners

**Chpt. X: Partners**

Richard walked up to the front entrance of the City Hall building for the second time that week, feeling a strange sensation in his chest. He was unsure about what was about to happen with the Mayor of Star City after the events that took place the night before. Richard shook his head, still unable to wrap his head around the revelation. After he revealed himself, Richard cut Oliver loose, but quickly left the premises, not sure of what to do next. He escaped before he could think about it any longer. Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow. Oliver Queen...was the Arrow.

This changed everything. The man that he was seeking for answers about Roy Harper was standing right in front of him the whole time. Oliver Queen was the Emerald Archer that saved this city year after year from countless threats, each with its own level of terror. Oliver Queen...was the Arrow.

Richard sighed as he went through the front doors, making his way to the receptionist's desk. Oliver Queen did still ruin Roy's life, whether it was intentional or not. Laurel Lance also died for Oliver, as well. He...he was revered as a hero, as a guardian angel of Star City, but…there was certainly pain & suffering surrounding all of that. Former billionaire serving the city as its mayor by day, then as its hero by night. Richard scoffed. Oliver reminded him of someone he knew in Gotham City.

"Mr. Grayson, welcome back," the receptionist greeted Richard.

Richard smiled faintly. "Hi there. I'm here to see Mr. Queen."

The receptionist glanced down at her clipboard, then frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. It doesn't seem as though Mr. Queen made an appointment. Perhaps I can leave a mess-"

"There's no need for that," Thea called from around the corner. She smiled softly at Richard. "He's with me."

The receptionist smiled, then went back to her computer. Richard looked over to Thea, who smiled back at him. She nodded down the hall, inviting him in. Richard sighed, following Oliver's sister.

"Welcome back, Mr. Grayson," Thea said softly. "It's good to see you."

Richard nodded slowly. "Likewise," he muttered.

Thea cleared her throat as they approached the large conference office that they held their meeting in before. "I...I just wanted to apologize. For being way too upfront about...you know…"

"The Green Arrow?" Richard finished.

Thea looked up at Richard. "Yeah." She kept quiet for a moment. "Has he already talked to you?"

Richard laughed softly. "The Green Arrow, or Oliver Queen?"

Thea bit her lip. When they reached the door, Richard pulled it open for Thea. Thea entered first, followed by Richard. As Richard shut the door, he looked up to see Oliver Queen, leaning with his hands against the large table. "Good morning," Oliver said nonchalantly.

Richard glanced between Oliver & Thea. "So...we're going to pretend like we're not gonna have some brief talk about my discretion?"

Oliver sighed. He nodded to Thea. "She wasn't supposed to make that offer to you without discussing it with me."

"You know, you're right, Oli, but in my defense, I make a lot of offers around these offices without discussing it with you, & there hasn't been a problem so far," Thea responded.

"Thea, you cannot be bringing in what I do at night into work."

Thea sighed. "After what happened with Laurel, I just...I thought this was something she might've thought of doing for us."

"The dead don't want anything," Oliver spat back.

Suddenly, the words rang in Richard's ear. It was exactly was Jason told Richard the night before.

The two siblings kept quiet for a moment, neither saying a word. Richard cleared his throat awkwardly. "Mr. Queen...I'm not sure whether to address you as the Mayor of this city, or as the Green Arrow, but, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the man in the red helmet alone."

Oliver nodded slowly. "We've started calling him the Red Hood."

"We?" Richard repeated.

"Yeah, he's murdered a lot of people in my city, Richard. My team has been keeping tabs on him."

Thea scoffed at this remark. Oliver glanced back to Thea, shooting a cold look. Clearly, there was a sibling discussion happening that Richard didn't know about.

Richard sighed. "The Red Hood...he's mine. He's my responsibility, & I'm going to deal with him. I just need you to let me do this."

"Richard, I looked into you," Oliver said. "Richard Grayson, A.K.A. Nightwing, fighting crime in Blüdhaven. You fought alongside Helena Bertinelli for a brief period before her arrest here in Star City. You also managed to drive Tobias Church out of the city, which is pretty good. However, he is currently causing problems here, & I do need some help stopping him & getting rid of his hold over the GCPD."

Richard arched his eyebrow. "What are you saying, Oliver?"

Oliver sighed. He glanced at Thea, who had a slight smile across her face. "Richard...I need your help...stopping Tobias Church."

Richard bit his lip. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, trying to carefully formulate his next few words. "I...I came here, to Star City, for the Red Hood. I'm trying to help him. This entire sales pitch from Wayne Tech was genuinely a cover, an excuse for me to show up to Star City. Aside from that, I really didn't expect to stay here long. I have no other business here, aside from the Red Hood. I just need to keep him under control & out of harm's way, especially from you."

"And I understand that," Oliver responded. "But you've had experience with Church. You know what he's been working with, what his strategies are. You are really my only other option."

Richard sighed. He glanced at Thea, who was looking at Richard intensely. He felt as though she had something to say. Richard looked down at his feet. "I do this…&, what? You leave the Red Hood for me? Then we pretend like you don't know that Richard Grayson is Nightwing & I don't know that Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow?"

Oliver shrugged. "I mean...I was hoping we'd work out something."

Richard nodded his head slowly, considering his options. He really was mainly concerned about Jason. Richard needed to get Jason out of the city before he got himself arrested, killed, or worse...caught by Bruce.

Richard thought of the proposition. Working alongside the Green Arrow to drive out Tobias Church. The Mayor of Star City AND the Green Arrow, asking for Nightwing's help. It was truly rich with irony, seeing as the archer had handled more than his fair share of trouble in the city. Why did he really need Richard's help? It wasn't because of his experience with Church. Tobias was just another street level crime boss. The Arrow took out men like that before. Hell, he took down Ra's al Ghul & Damien Darhk. Something was different. Something...was making Oliver desperate.

"Oliver, you said 'we' earlier," Richard said. "Who did you mean, exactly?"

Oliver looked down at his feet with his arms crossed across his wide chest, avoiding eye contact. Thea shook her head over to the side. Both were quiet for a moment. Richard eyed the two, then it suddenly came together.

"After...the Arrow's arrest, the Green Arrow came into the light. He no longer fought alongside Arsenal, but, he started fighting with Speedy, Spartan, & the Black Canary." Richard glanced to Thea. "I assume Speedy was you." Before she could respond, Richard continued. "With the death of Laurel Lance as the Black Canary…there comes guilt. I don't know exactly how it affected your team, but I know how guilt works. I know it did affect you. It probably changed each of you." Richard began making his way to Thea. "Thea...you're spending your time here now, while Oliver runs around as the Green Arrow. I can imagine you hung up your bow, didn't you?"

Richard noticed Thea's stern, fierce face suddenly shift into something else. She began to look much more sad. She shook her head. "I'm...still adjusting. But...I think I'm happy now."

Richard nodded. He smiled softly at Thea. "I remember what it felt like to be happy," he said, thinking back to his times with Barbara. Richard turned to Oliver. "Spartan. He's not around either, is he?"

Oliver shut his eyes tight for a moment, then opened them up again. He glanced up at Richard. "The team...it's just me & my technical specialist, now."

"So you really don't have anyone else to rely on, now," Richard said. Oliver nodded, & Richard smiled softly at the Mayor. "You know, Oliver, you remind me of a man I know. This man, he's the one who trained me. He made me the man I am today. He...he had this habit of driving people away. He abused us emotionally, physically, psychologically. But...at the end of the day, he was really driving us to become better, stronger people. I sometimes think back to my days with him, & I really do hate the son of a bitch. But...I do know what he was doing was for us. But then we lost one of our own. We all lost ourselves. I...I'm not ready to go back to him. I might not be for a while. But I know that because of who he made me into, I'll be able to cope & deal with the loss, & eventually, I'll find my way back to him when he needs it the most."

Oliver smiled, keeping quiet for a moment. He seemed to be letting the words sink in. He approached Richard, extending his hand out to shake his. "Partners?"

Richard took Oliver's hand & shook it, nodding. "Partners." He then glanced to Thea. "You can sit this one out, Speedy. I've got your brother's back."

Thea nodded softly, smiling. She turned & slowly walked out of the conference room, leaving Richard alone with the Green Arrow.

"Thank you so much, Richard," Oliver said, patting Richard on the back.

Richard nodded, smiling. "So, I give you Tobias Church, & you let me have the Red Hood."

Oliver nodded. "Then we're good."

Richard sighed in relief. He turned to leave, then turned back to Oliver. "Hey, um...now that I've got you here, there's something I should ask you." Oliver glanced up at Richard. "You've been on the League's watchlist for a while. Arsenal, too. Is there a particular reason you haven't joined up yet?

Oliver opened his mouth, shock spreading across his face. He was probably surprised to hear that Richard was involved with the League. "I...I just don't know if that's something I'm...ready for."

Richard smiled softly. Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, felt unready for the Justice League. It sounded like a younger, more naive Bruce nervous about starting high school. Richard shrugged. "I didn't know, either," Richard said.

Richard made his way to the conference room door when Oliver called out to Richard. "What changed for you?" he asked.

Richard turned back to Oliver. "A hell of a lot changed, man. But they've got a ton of cool toys to kick ass with."

Oliver arched his eyebrows. "Toys?"

Richard smiled. "You've seen mine. Imagine what else they've got," he added, right before exiting the conference room, leaving Oliver Queen to ponder his decisions.


	11. Chapter 11: Scarab

**Chpt. XI: Scarab**

Richard stared at his computer, ideas percolating in his thoughts. He needed to track down Jason Todd again, but he had to hold up his end of his deal with Oliver Queen & help catch Tobias Church again. He needed to sort out his priorities & determine which he was more concerned about. On one hand, Jason Todd was a lost murderer who needed to be stopped before he got caught by the SCPD. On the other, Tobias Church was a cruel, demented crime boss who also needed to be stopped before he killed again.

Richard sighed. It was times like this where he missed talking to Barbara.

Richard glanced at his phone & slowly reached for it. He unlocked his cell & began to scroll through contacts list. He stopped when he got to Barbara's name. It had a ring emoji next to it. Richard stared at the contact name. His thumb lingered over the dial icon. Richard sighed, clicking the edit option & removing the emoji from her name. Things had changed. Richard needed to stop dwelling on the past.

Richard tossed his phone to the side of his desk, rubbing his temples. He needed to relax again. He needed to take his mind off of Barbara. He needed to do some work.

Richard pulled up his files on Tobias Church's activities in Blüdhaven, recounting the damage that the criminal man had done there. Church imported weapons from overseas, ran drug rings, & had began infiltrating the city's police department. Nightwing shut down all of that, ruining the gang's plans & cleaning up the law enforcement. After Church's departure from Blüdhaven, Richard was convinced that the washed up thug was done with crime. Richard was naive to believe so.

Richard thought back to what he knew about Star City. Drug rings were a big concern here. Vertigo was launched, selling in record numbers in the streets. Church was most likely involved with that product as well, despite it having already plagued the streets. Richard recalled the other night, when he first tracked down Jason. He remembered the two thugs referring to their product as Stardust. That was something relatively new. Richard hadn't heard of the drug outside of Star City at all. But Jason somehow did.

If Jason was already on a trail leading to a Stardust dealer, he may have intel on Church. Following the Stardust lead could lead Richard to Church, but also allow Richard to investigate the ring enough to find out how Jason infiltrated the gang in the first place. He may just be able to catch two birds with one stone.

Richard placed his hands over his keyboard, suddenly realizing he didn't necessarily have any leads on the Stardust ring himself. Jason was the one who knew the most, & he was gone.

Richard thought back to the night where Jason confronted the Stardust dealers. They were discussing someone who they had connections with...some boy. Maybe Richard could look into that. What was his name?

Richard typed in "Jaime Reyes" into his computer, hoping to gain some information on his lead. A file came up from the El Paso Police Department in Texas, showing a record for Jaime Reyes' arrest a few years ago. This hardly caught Richard's attention. Richard saw a file that came from a Cadmus research facility in Metropolis. Richard gasped softly to himself. He had more than his fair share of experience with Cadmus. Suddenly, Richard felt an obligation to find this boy as well.

Richard attempted to access the Cadmus file, but it was restricted. Richard sighed. He decided to use the image of his mugshot from El Paso to track any facial recognition of him through any traffic cameras in the city. After a while, there was one result that showed a clip of a boy walking down the street. He was entering an abandoned warehouse. The boy wore a hoodie over his head, but facial recognition matched the kid.

Richard wrote down the address that appeared on the side of the screen, then ran to his bed & picked up his Nightwing suit.

* * *

Richard stood over the edge of the building across from the abandoned warehouse where he believed Jaime Reyes to be. The footage he had scene was recorded only an hour earlier that night. He may very well still be inside.

Richard gracefully dropped down onto the ground & began walking towards the building, surveying his surroundings. The nightlight was enough for him to see, but still leaving him to blend into the shadows. As he approached the building, he lifted his hands up to the front doors & pushed slightly. The door slowly swung open loosely.

Richard entered the building, scanning the interior. The building was entirely filled with tall stacks of large boxes & crates. They blocked a lot of Richard's peripheral vision, causing Richard to rely on his sense of sound to keep himself on alert. Richard felt his way around the dark warehouse, attempting to find an open space.

Suddenly, Richard heard a cough.

Richard stood upright, attempting to locate which direction the sound came from. The warehouse caused the cough to echo through the building, but he felt confident that the cough came from his right. Richard began slowly walking down the aisles of crates until he was about to make his way to the right. Richard continued to feel his way around, but then saw a bright light emitting from an open space in front of Richard.

Richard saw a table with several boxes & cases that were broken open, with a large lamp illuminating the area. To the side was a boy, sitting on the ground with his back against a crate. He was massaging his arm, which was red with dried blood. He was wounded. The boy was a young Hispanic kid, no older than Tim. He was dark, with damp black hair hanging loose over his forehead. He wore a navy blue shirt with dark stains across his shoulder, chest, & down towards his side. It was probably blood. He winced as he poked at his wound, crying softly to himself.

Richard slowly approached the boy. "Jaime?"

The boy jumped in surprise & looked up, squinting into the dark. When he saw Richard, he yelled & reached under a black hoodie beside him & waved a wrench at Richard. "Please, don't hurt me, man!"

Richard held his hands up defensively. "I'm not here to hurt you, Jaime. I'm here for information."

"No, no, no, I can't tell you nothing," Jaime cried.

Richard began softly shushing the hysterical boy. "Jaime, yes you can. No one is going to hurt you. I'm one of the good guys."

Jaime's fists clenched at the sight of Richard. He then suddenly glanced over his shoulder. "No, I can't kill him! I don't even know him!"

Richard arched his eyebrow confusedly. "Kill who? No one is asking you to kill anyone, kid."

Jaime's breathing began more rapid, & his eyes were watering. "I can't, I can't," the boy cried.

Richard glanced around the open space, then back at Jaime. He wasn't okay. Richard believed that the boy was mentally ill, probably schizophrenic. What in God's name did Cadmus do to him?

Suddenly, Jaime's entire composure shifted from frantic to exhausted. Jaime wiped his face & looked up at Richard. "You're one of those vigilantes. Aren't you going to arrest me?"

Richard shook his head. "I'm not a cop, kid. I'm not arresting anybody. I'm looking for a guy. He wears a red helmet over his head & bares a bat on his chest. You know him?"

Jaime's eyes widened as Richard described Jason. "Yeah, the Red Hood," Jaime murmured. "You're working with that guy?"

"He's an associate of mine," Richard explained. "I just need to find him before he gets into any trouble. What do you know about him?"

Jaime sighed. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I...I don't want him to come back, man. Don't bring the Hood back, man."

Richard shook his head "He's not coming back for you, kid. I won't let him. Just...tell me what he did with you."

Jaime sighed. He shut his eyes tight & took a deep breath. "I don't really know. One day, he just showed up with one of our Stardust dealers, wanting to buy some product. He just came around more & more often, but, then one day, he saw me. He started asking me questions, like you are right now."

Richard nodded slowly. "What did he ask you, Jaime?"

Jaime shrugged. "Just, normal things. Where I came from, how I got to Star City & into this gang. He didn't seem shocked to hear that I was a runaway, but...I guess he was disappointed." Jaime rubbed his eyes with his hands. "Then he left for a night. I was crashing out the guys' crib when he broke in & woke me up. He, like, started talking to me in the middle of the night about how I deserved better, & I was stripped of my future & my innocence or something. He...he got me a little heated, riled up. Then he just left…& that's when I killed 8 of those drug dealers."

Richard's eyes widened. "What?"

Jaime took a deep breath & held his hands to his mouth. He was trying so hard to explain everything to Richard. Richard could tell the boy was struggling. Richard was missing something. "I...I'm not normal. Not anymore. I...I black out, & I lose control. Not like I rage out, but, I literally lose control of my body & mind. I didn't mean to kill 8 men. Hell, I couldn't kill 8 men even if I wanted to. I'm a scrawny little skater, you know? But...it took control, & it wiped all the men out."

"It?" Richard asked.

Jaime sighed once more, & Richard walked closer to the boy & knelt down beside him. Jaime continued. "One night, a few years ago, back in El Paso, I was skating home from some skatepark. I took my usual route, which happens to pass by this big building. Kord Industries, you know? It's some science lab, I don't know. I skated by it one night, & as I was passing by, a bug bit me on my neck. I didn't think much of it, but, when I got home to shower, I saw it." Jaime turned his back to Richard & pulled the collar of his shirt down. He revealed a dark blue gem on the base of his skull, right where the beginning of his spine was. It was black & blue & glistened in the dark lighting. "This blue bug just...appeared. I think it came from Kord Industries. After a few nights, I got arrested for some dumb shoplifting with a friend, & when we were brought into the police station, some FBI agents came & just took me away. I didn't know what to think. They brought me to some other high tech science place. I thought I was back at Kord Industries, but no, this place was different. Man, it was so different."

"Cadmus," Richard said softly.

Jaime nodded. "Yeah, those guys. They probed me, shocked me, drowned me, & burned me. They were testing this thing on my neck & wanted to see what would stimulate it. They didn't realize that it wasn't just a highly advanced piece of tech designed by Kord. It...it's an alien. It speaks to me as if I'm some inferior little child, & when it feels threatened, it wakes up & takes over. It killed those scientists & broke me out of Cadmus, & ever since then, I've been on the run."

Richard let the words of the boy's story sink in. After a few moments, he closed his mouth, releasing it was ajar from shock. He had spent so much time in Blüdhaven that he had almost forgot what the world was REALLY like, with aliens & demons all threatening the world. "So," Richard started, "this...thing. It lives off of you, making you its host. You're not the one who's responsible for those deaths."

Jaime shook his head. "That's not what the justice system believes."

Richard smirked. "If we believed in the justice system, do you really think I'd be sitting here talking to you in this suit?"

Jaime looked up & down Richard. "Who...who are you?"

Richard held his hand out. "Nightwing."

Jaime stared at Richard's hand & slowly reached out to shake it. "Can you protect me?"

Richard let out a soft laugh. "From what you've told me, you have an alien bug that protects you already, but yes, I'll keep the gang away from you."

Jaime nodded slowly. He looked up at Richard. "You need information, though."

"Yes, on the Red Hood," Richard said. "I need something, anything, that'll help point me to where I can find him, or what he's doing in the city."

Jaime bit his lip. He sighed deeply. "He always asked around about meeting 'The Big Guy'. I think it was code for someone, but, the one guy everyone was nervous about was some dude named Church. Even Sampson was afraid of him."

Richard nodded. Jason was, in fact, after Tobias Church. With concrete evidence, Richard felt positive about pursuing Jason if it meant he could get his hands on Church again. Two birds, one stone.

"This helps," Richard said. "Do you have any idea where I might find Church, then?"

Jaime's eyes lit up. He ran to the table beside him & began riffling through the broken boxes. Underneath one was a large map. A big red circle was drawn over a small section of the map. "This is where some of the dealers saw Church spotted at. They figured that he deals some business there."

Richard took the map & rolled it up, shoving it between his back & his escrima sticks. He turned back to Jaime. "Head to the Star City Plaza Hotel. By the end of the night, there's going to be a room for a James Ray. Go ahead & hide out there for a few nights, & I'll sort out something more permanent for you."

Jaime looked up at Richard, a truly grateful smile spreading across his face. He blinked away what looked like tears. Jaime nodded. "Thank you, Nightwing."


	12. Chapter 12: Take Me to Church

**Chpt. XII: Take Me to Church**

Richard stood over the edge of the building & overlooked the junkyard below. The majority of the area that Jaime Reyes advised Richard to investigate was essentially the entire junkyard. Richard felt confident that he would find Church again in this area. He just needed a plan. He also probably needed backup. If Church's men were fully armed, then he may be a bigger threat than Richard had anticipated.

"Hey, man," Tim called out of nowhere, startling Richard.

Richard grunted & turned back to Tim. The boy was just now settling down, perching next to Richard. "Robin, I asked you here over an hour ago."

Tim sighed. "I know. I had to head back to suit up."

Richard shook his head. "Where were you?"

Tim smirked. "Making friends," he said with the slyest grin.

Richard groaned. "Okay, man. Put it back in your pants & focus."

Tim nodded, leaning forward. "So what are we looking for?"

"Tobias Church," Richard said in a low voice.

Tim glanced back at Richard. "We're...going after Church? The guy you drove out of Blüdhaven? What happened to Jason?"

Richard sighed. "Once we get Church, Jason is ours."

Tim shook his head. "I'm not following. Why is Church in Star City? Better yet, why is he even our concern?"

Just as Richard was about to answer that, four cars pulled into the junkyard & parked in the middle of the open space. The drivers exited their cars, leaving the headlights on. Men exited each vehicle, leaving about 15 men for Richard & Tim to be wary of. Each was armed with either a rifle, or a handgun. One of these men wore a long overcoat with a beanie over his head & had fingerless gloves. He wore a chain around his neck & stood with a sense of authority. His scruffy beard had grown since the last time Richard saw him.

"Church," Richard grunted.

Tobias Church circled the group of men with his hands behind his back. "Gentlemen, welcome. Thank you for joining me tonight. As you all may or may not know, this city is protected by one of the many vigilantes that have sprouted over the coast in the last few years. The Green Arrow draws his bow, killing off our brothers & our men. We, however, cannot conduct business in such a manner. The Arrow thinks he can cut off our supplies every night, slowing down the flow of our merchandise. What he DOESN'T know is that by banding together, our units came help us become more strong & more organized. He won't be able to take us all down, not if we have each other's backs."

One bald thug stepped forward, approaching Tobias. "So, what, you're saying we're all a team now? All of us against the Green Arrow?"

Tobias shrugged. "You can look at it that way, sure. We just need more men fighting on the same side."

An Asian man in a suit stepped forward. "Well, I am not working with the Irish," the Asian said in a thick accent. "They are my competition in weapons trade."

A red-haired man shoved another man in the crowd, approaching the Asian. "We were here in Star City first!"

The Asian shook his head. "We were here back when it was still Starling, you drunken bastard!"

"Boys!" Tobias roared, his deep voice booming throughout the dark. The men grew silent as Church's call echoed around them. He cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, that is exactly why I have asked you all here today. Our petty differences are what have caused us to lose focus of the REAL enemy. It isn't each other, don't you see? Our REAL enemy is the Green Arrow. He is the only thing standing between us & total underground control."

The men began nodding in agreement. They were buying what Tobias was selling. Tobias had won them over. Richard thought back to his time in Blüdhaven with Church. That was exactly how he almost took over the criminal underground of the city. He rounded up each of the different gangs of the city & called for a parley in order to focus on one goal: taking down Nightwing. Fortunately, Richard had taken down Church's force & sent him out of the city. Richard DID have help some nights in Blüdhaven, but, those days were long gone.

Now Richard was back, face to face with Church, but in Star City. And this time, he had Robin.

"Alright," Richard said, turning back to Tim. "This is what we're going to do. I'm gonna toss a smoke bomb to mask the area, giving you opportunity to sneak by. I'm going to make an offensive charge, drawing the men's fire towards me. While I have their attention, you're going to plant those small explosives that Alfred made for you, & when I give the signal, you're gonna light 'em up."

Tim nodded slowly, but looked unsure. "So...you're going to take on all these guys?"

Richard smiled. "It's a diversion, man. Don't worry. I've done this before."

Before Tim could object, Richard had already set off the smoke bomb & tossed it down below, setting the men off in alarm & confusion. Richard leaped off of the building that they stood on, performing a front flip while doing so. He landed swiftly on his feet, then casually walked towards the group of men, each aiming their weapons in dozens of directions in confusion. Richard let out a soft chuckle. "You boys look lost. The exit is back that way," he joked, pointing behind him.

The men all raised their weapons, rifles & knifes, & pointed them at Richard. Tobias pushed through the crowd & bellowed a laugh. "Nightwing," Church roared. "Haven't seen you in a hot minute. Missed me?"

Richard shook his head, grinning. "Not in the slightest, Church. I've been relaxing ever since I drove your ass out of Blüdhaven, & it's been great."

Tobias grinned, crossing his big burly arms over his chest. "Yeah, that's right. I've moved onto bigger & better things than fighting a little pipsqueak like yourself."

Richard scoffed. "Pipsqueak? Oh, please! I could take your ass on, right here, right now!"

Tobias arched his eyebrow, glancing around at his brethren. "Oh, really?" Church said. He reached into his coat pocket & removed a set of brass knuckles. As he slid the knuckles on, Richard caught sight of Robin sneaking around the backside, crawling near the bottom of the cars that they had parked. It was all going accordingly.

Tobias Church raised his fist & approached Richard. "Come on then, Nightwing. Let's see what you've got."

Before Richard could even give Church an opportunity, he leaped forward, throwing a heavy punch in Tobias' face. Church doubled back, reaching up to his face, then spit some blood from his mouth. "Oh, well, damn!"

Tobias swung his right fist, then his left, alternating back & forth over & over, getting faster & faster. Richard dodged every swing & ducked under every attack until finally, Richard removed an escrima stick from his back & swung it against Tobias. The electric bolt hadn't activated, but it definitely stunned him for a minute. Richard just needed to toy with Church for a few more moments.

Tobias shoved his big foot against Richard's chest. The large sole of the combat boot knocked him backward, but Richard managed to perform a backward somersault, landing perfectly on his feet. Richard then quickly reached for his utility belt & swiftly swung a winglet over towards Tobias. Tobias blocked it, using his forearm. He winced at the small cut he got, then growled. Richard smirked to himself. "Stings, doesn't it?" Richard called out.

Tobias roared out & ran towards Richard & raised a fist up towards him. Before Richard could even block, a gunshot rang out into the night. Tobias fell onto his back, but quickly sat back up. He had slipped, attempting to dodge. Church glanced over his shoulder to see one of his men, shot in the head. The man fell to the ground, lifelessly.

Richard spun on his heel to see who had pulled the trigger. None of Tobias's men had their arms up. Richard looked past the men, seeing a familiar man in a brown leather jacket & a sniper rifle raised up. He sat on top of a tower of crushed cars. His red helmet gave Richard sudden hope & anxiety.

"Jason," Richard gasped softly.

Jason stood up on the crushed car tower. "Tobias Church!" he called out, his voice echoing out, but still under a mechanical filter. "I've been looking for you!"

Tobias wiped his coat as he stood back up. "Who the hell are you?"

Jason swiftly lifted the sniper rifle back up & took aim. Within a moment, he had already shot again, this time hitting Tobias in the chest. Tobias fell back, groaning in pain. Richard glanced between Tobias to Jason, & suddenly all of Tobias' men were opening fire at the Red Hood. Jason leaped off of the tower, dodging the gunfire.

Richard raised a hand to his earpiece. "Robin, if you've got the devices set up, we should REALLY LIGHT IT UP NOW!"

" _Yeah, one second,"_ Tim called from the other end of the line. Richard scanned the area to spot the Boy Wonder, but was suddenly attacked by an Asian thug with a bat. Richard fell back, but quickly regained his stance & swung a back foot against the side of the Asian's head. The thug fell onto the ground, & suddenly two more thugs tackled Richard. Richard sidestepped, avoiding the both of them, & managed to leap up in the air & shoot both legs out, kicking both men in the back. Another man appeared out of nowhere, startling Richard. He swung the barrel of his rifle into Richard's face, causing him to fall down.

Just as the man lifted his boot up & was about to kick Richard in the face, an arrow appeared inside of the man's calf, causing the man to cry out in agony. Richard brought his legs into his chest & shot them out, kicking the man in his stomach. The thug fell back, clutching his leg. Richard stood up to find the Green Arrow standing a few feet away, with his bow & arrow ready for combat. "You alright?" the Green Arrow grunted.

Richard nodded, standing up on his feet. "Yeah, thanks." Richard turned to see the thugs running towards Jason, who was now running in circles around the debris in the junkyard. "Damn it," Richard groaned to himself.

The Green Arrow stepped forward, arrow pulled back in his drawstring, & released the arrow from his bow. The arrow shot straight into another thug's arm, but the man kept running. Richard sighed & began running after the crowd, but felt a sudden tug on his ankle. Richard tripped & fell on his chest, then looked back over his shoulder. He saw Tobias Church, grabbing onto Richard's ankle. He wasn't dead.

Richard yanked his foot from Church's grasp & swung it up & over Church's head, slamming his foot on his skull. Tobias groaned, but continued to crawl towards Richard. The Green Arrow grabbed Tobias by the collar & threw him against the ground. "I've got him. You get yours," the archer grunted.

Richard nodded & ran towards the sound of the gunfire. He leaped up over the debris swiftly as his acrobatic instincts kicked in, allowing him to make his way across the junkyard jungle smoothly. He came up behind one armed thug & pierced the back of the man's neck with the pointed end of his hand, knocking him out. Richard continued to make his way towards two other men, shooting into the area they believed the Red Hood to be. Richard tossed two winglets into the men's backs, stunning them. As Richard was about to make his next step, he felt a sudden presence behind him. Richard spun back around fast, ready to attack.

"Whoa!" Tim cried, startled by Richard's reflexes. "It's me!"

Richard let out a frustrated breath. "Robin," he groaned in a low voice, similar to how Bruce would to Richard back in the day.

Tim stared back at Richard, then past Richard's shoulders. "Think he'll be okay?" he asked softly.

Suddenly, a large explosion shook the ground, knocking Richard & Tim on their backs. Richard sat upright quickly, uninjured, to catch sight of where the explosion came from. It wasn't where Tim had planted his explosives. Had Jason set up a trap of his own for these men? Or...did he fall into one?

Richard stood up & ran towards the flames, jumping through cars & metallic obstacles to get there. He heard Tim struggling to follow, but Richard wasn't worried about the Boy Wonder. He could catch up.

As the two ran, they heard a sudden scream of agony. Richard feared it was Jason & began sprinting faster. He felt his heart pound heavily, both from adrenaline & from fear. Finally, Richard came face to face with the sight of dozens of men, laid out across the ground, with several cars behind them ignited. The men were killed.

But where was Jason?

Richard clenched his fists tight, cursing himself for losing his chance to save Jason once more. He had the opportunity. He had Jason in his sights. But he was gone now, again. Richard had no idea if he would come back. He was entirely unsure of what Jason would do next. The uncertainty drove him insane. The unpredictability of Jason Todd frightened Richard. He needed to bring him back home, soon, before he did anything worse.

"Hear that?" Tim said softly. "Sirens."

Richard nodded softly. He hadn't heard the sirens. He wasn't listening for them. He was listening for the sound of mechanical breathing.

Suddenly, the Green Arrow appeared on a set of stacked cars & called out to Richard below. "What happened?"

Richard sighed. "We lost him," Richard called back to the archer. "He's gone."

The Green Arrow kept quiet. He nodded towards the direction he came from. "Church is gone. He...he got away."

Richard shut his eyes tight, doing his best to keep his composure. This archer, who had fought dozens of overpowered madmen, couldn't take down a crime boss with a bow & arrow? What the hell was he good for, then?

Richard shook his head. He shouldn't be giving Oliver a hard time. Richard had screwed up as well. It was just a bad night. Richard took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. They would get another chance. They would be given another try another night.


	13. Chapter 13: Old Friend

**Chpt. XIII: Old Friend**

Richard sat on his bed, staring down at his feed. He was so unbelievably frustrated. His mind was overwhelmed with thoughts about the previous night. He was looking for Tobias Church, but in doing so, he had his chance to save Jason Todd. He could've taken down Church for Oliver, dealing with one task, & could've have brought in Jason to prevent any more unnecessary deaths. He couldn't even manage to do either.

Richard sighed in self pity. He felt relieved that he was done with his work with Bruce, his work as Robin, but he felt the same weight on his shoulders again. It felt as though no matter what he did, he couldn't get away from the damage & pain that came with the Bat. Richard did his best to be his own man with his own mission & duty to himself, but it always came back to Bruce & his mistakes. Richard sighed. He didn't want to hate the man, but, he was definitely very frustrated with him.

Richard shook his head. He needed to stop putting blame on someone else. What happened was on Richard.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Richard glanced at his phone's screen & reached for the device. He examined the caller's name. It was unknown. He examined the number's area code. It was a Hub City area code. Richard answered, feeling a sense of wariness. "Hello?"

The caller was silent for a moment. "Dick?" a man with a deep voice said on the other line.

Richard raised his eyebrow. He didn't go by Dick. He hadn't gone by that name since he moved to Blüdhaven. "Who is this?" Richard asked.

The caller sighed. "Come on, Dicky, I'd like to think you wouldn't forget me after all these years." Richard kept quiet again, trying to place the voice's familiarity. There weren't a lot of people who called him Dicky. The caller continued. "Remember the neon lion in Chinatown Gotham?"

Suddenly, it all came back to Richard. When he first tracked down Cheyenne Freemont, after having gone to Zatanna Zatara for help, he found her in Chinatown back in Gotham. She was hiding out in an abandoned warehouse with Rachel Roth & Koriand'r. Above the warehouse was a neon lion. Then John Constantine appeared, &...all hell broke loose. The lion came to life. There was a fire. Cheyenne died.

Richard was only with one other man that night.

Roy Harper cleared his throat before Richard could respond. "Listen, Dick, before you say anything, just know that we need to talk. I'm sending you the address now. Head over there in an hour."

With that, Arsenal hung up the phone, leaving Richard baffled & alone in his bedroom.

* * *

Richard stepped out of his car & glanced up at the coffee shop. The address wasn't hard to find. There weren't a lot coffee shops in Star City. Richard shook his head, having mixed feelings about coffee shops. The last one he was in blew up.

Richard walked up the steps of the coffee shop & entered, scanning the small java shop for Roy Harper. It had been years since he had last since Roy. In fact, he hadn't seen him since the arrest of Nolan Drake back in Gotham years ago. It was about time the archer had made an appearance. But Oliver's actions didn't give him much of a choice, did they?

Richard caught sight of a man in a red baseball cap tucked low over his head & red sunglasses blowing his face. He had some scruff on his face, showing off some of his stubble. Roy had a face softer than a baby's butt the last time Richard saw him.

Richard approached the man sitting at the table & nodded at him. "Hey," he said, trying to not attract too much attention. The man was still officially dead, according to Star City.

Roy looked up at Richard. He stared at Richard for a few moments, but suddenly a look of realization washed over his face. He was shocked. Roy scoffed, leading to a soft laugh. "Dick, is that you?"

Richard rolled his eyes, smiling softly. "Yeah, it's me."

"Dude, you were, like, 5'0 tall the last time I saw you!"

Richard sighed, taking a seat across the archer. "No, I wasn't."

Roy laughed. "Sure." He glanced around the coffee table. "Not like the one in Gotham, but, close enough, right?"

Richard bit his lip. He twiddled his fingers, unsure of what to say. He wanted to say a lot, but wasn't sure of how to say it. "Roy, it's been years," he said softly. "Where...where were you?"

Roy scratched the back of his head. "According to Oliver, you managed to piece together what happened."

"Yeah, I know you took the fall for the Arrow when he was apprehended, but, nobody knew that Roy was Arsenal, & not the Arrow."

Roy shrugged. "Yeah, except you."

Richard nodded slowly. He stared at Roy's eyes through his sunglasses. This was one of his best friends growing up. "Why...why'd you just vanish? After Nolan Drake...after Starling City…"

"I had to, Dick. I had to go into hiding."

"But you didn't!" Richard hissed, attempting to not get attention. "You didn't have to do anything for Oliver! You owe it to yourself to be able to live your own life! You let Oliver's mistakes as the Arrow take everything away from you!"

Roy shook his head. "Dick, he made me into the man I am today. Everything he was, everything that he taught me, I've carried along for so long. He taught me how to control my rage. He taught me how to be stronger, & to do what's necessary. He taught me to do what's right, no matter what the cost." Roy eyed Richard for a moment. "I know you know what I'm talking about, man."

Richard sighed in defeat. He knew exactly what Roy was talking about. Growing up with Bruce, with the Bat, put things into perspective. Of course, Richard eventually grew tired of that mindset. He wasn't sure he agreed with any of those ethics anymore. So much had changed. So many people died.

Roy cleared his throat. "I won't lie...part of is me glad I got out of the game when I did. But...part of me regrets it." Richard watched Roy removed his sunglasses from his face. Roy continued. "Part of me misses the suit & the bow, & helping this city, working with Oliver & the team, but...then Laurel died."

Richard nodded. The Black Canary's death would be enough for Roy to suddenly have a whole new perspective on what it meant to be a hero alongside the Green Arrow. Jason's death & Barbara's paralysis changed things for Richard. "I feel you, man."

Roy sighed softly. "I guess I should have been there, though. After what happened with us in Chinatown, then Cadmus, & Nolan's attacks, I can imagine becoming Robin was tough to do alone. I should've have been there, but...I ended up losing everything, cutting everyone off. I'm sorry."

Richard shook his head slowly, then looked back up at Roy. "The Titans were there...for a bit. Barbara was too...for a bit. I wasn't alone, Roy, but, I definitely felt like I needed you then."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Richard felt a little better, getting what he wanted off of his chest. He understood why Roy did what he did, but he definitely was not happy with it. But he understood.

Richard cleared his throat. "So Oliver got in contact with you."

Roy nodded. "Yeah, he said there was a new player in town who knew about Roy as Arsenal, & Oliver as both the Arrow & the Green Arrow."

Richard scoffed to himself. He was still annoyed that they didn't think people would see any correlation between the Arrow vigilante & the Green Arrow. Richard bit his lip. Should he tell Roy? "I, uh...I am in town on an assignment."

"Assignment?" Roy asked.

Richard nodded. "I'm hunting down a vigilante that Oliver has dubbed the Red Hood. He's been killing criminals, which I guess doesn't fall far from the Arrow's methods, but it's definitely something I'm trying to stop."

Roy grinned. "You can stop right there. I'm in."

"But I didn't-"

"No, you didn't. You don't have to ever ask me. I'm always in," Roy said with a large grin.

Richard couldn't help but smile back. He hadn't realized how much he had missed working with Roy again. "Get your gear ready, Arsenal," he said. "Tonight, we're catching a vigilante."


	14. Chapter 14: What It Takes

**Chpt. XIV: What It Takes**

Richard stood in his hotel room, gathering his materials that he would need for the night. He had his Nightwing armored suit laid out on his bed. He had his escrima sticks, laid beside the suit on the bed. The electrifying sticks glowed a bright blue glow, humming with power. Beside the suit & the sticks was his utility belt, with each pocket pouch detached & laid out around the belt. Richard made sure each one was fully stocked with enough smoke pellets, winglets, & chloroform blades. Richard had to be prepared for Jason. Richard needed to catch the Red Hood before he killed again.

Suddenly, the hotel door opened, & Tim stumbled in, totally immersed in his phone call. "Yes, babe. I'll be home soon. No, I'm just helping Dick out with some stuff." Tim glanced up at Richard, noticing his gear laid out on the bed. "In fact, we're about to go do something right now." Tim sighed. "Yes, Stephanie, I know it's late. I promise I'll call you back soon, babe." After a moment, a smile washed over Tim's face. "I love you too, Steph. Sweet dreams." With that, the Boy Wonder hung up & glanced up at Richard.

Richard smiled. "So things with Stephanie are good, huh?"

Tim nodded. "Yeah, she's great. We're happy."

Richard nodded slowly, but felt his smile begin to be forced. He thought to his troubles with Barbara, & what had gone down between her & Richard. Guys like them don't get the girl.

"She's starting to wonder what I do at night," Tim admitted. "I'm always out late, & the few nights that I could get away from Bruce, I'd still spend them with her, but...she's catching on."

Richard nodded. Tim's girlfriend knowing about his nights as Robin could ruin things, just like it did for him. "What do you tell her?" Richard asked.

Tim sighed, sitting down at the desk chair. "The same thing that I tell everyone. I'm at the Manor, taking care of Bruce."

"Stephanie believes that?" Richard asked.

Tim nodded. "Yeah, man. I mean, she knows Bruce has been drinking more. I really do have to sober him up. Some nights, I have to undress the man myself."

Richard stared down at his feet, feeling somewhat ashamed. He wish he had stuck around longer for Tim. He knew he couldn't leave Tim alone with Bruce, but, he couldn't let himself face Bruce again. Richard began to suddenly feel the weight of abandoning Tim. He was beginning to realize how selfish he was being by leaving Gotham. Richard felt his chest grow heavy with the guilt.

Tim nodded towards the suit on the bed. "So, you're going back for Church?"

Richard sighed. "I was gonna see if I could focus on Jason again. I wanted to take Church down first, but with Jason out there again, there's no telling what he might do next, so I'm prioritizing Jason."

Tim nodded slowly, keeping quiet. Richard went back to examining his gear, making sure he had everything he needed. "Are you coming out tonight?" Richard asked Tim over his shoulder.

Tim sighed. "I really want to talk to Steph. You'll cut me some slack, right?"

Richard shrugged. "I managed to bring in a former Titan member. He's gonna be helping us too."

Tim arched his eyebrow at Richard. Something seemed to be bothering Tim, but Richard wasn't sure. He knew for a fact that the boy was a little angry. Richard went back to his gear, however, not wanting to pry. If Tim was upset, he would come to Richard. He couldn't force his thoughts out of him.

Suddenly, Tim spoke. "Are you gonna catch Jason tonight?"

Richard glanced back towards Tim & nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, man, we will."

Tim shook his head. "Stop, Dick."

Richard was taken aback by Tim's sudden coldness. What the hell was bothering him?

Tim sighed, then ran a hand through his dark shaggy hair. It reminded Richard of himself. "I'm...I'm not so sure you're all in this, man."

Richard stared at Tim, shocked. He sat down on the edge of the hotel bed & sighed. "What do you mean?"

Tim stared at the ground, searching for the right words to say. "I...I feel like you're not really trying to bring Jason home." Richard opened his mouth to speak, but Tim cut him off. "You're not. You're...you keep letting him slip away. Honestly, I mean, this scares me so much. With him being back & him murdering people across the coast, it's scary. It feels like a scary movie. But...Dick, I feel like you would be able to do what it takes to bring him back home."

Richard nodded softly. He let Tim's words sink in, really trying to understand what he was saying. Maybe Tim wasn't wrong. Maybe Richard was still scared to bring Jason back home. After all...Richard was the reason Jason put on the Robin suit in the first place. He was the reason that Jason pushed himself too far, leading to his death. Maybe...maybe Richard was scared about what would happen once he got Jason back to Gotham. Would Jason want revenge? Would he try to kill the Joker? Would he go after Bruce? Or would he just want to kill Richard? And now, with Tim as the new Robin, there may be some angry brewing inside of him that would lead him to wanting to kill Tim. Richard really had no idea what he was going to do once he got Jason. He just knew he couldn't let Bruce get his hands on him. Not again.

Richard sighed, rubbing his face with his hands."You...you're right, man," Richard said softly. "I think I am afraid. I'm...I'm afraid to bring him back to Gotham. I'm not sure I'm ready to face the consequences of him coming back. We don't know all that's happened, either. He may not be right in the head. He may very well be sick in the head, & letting him come home may pose as a threat, but, we can't let him be on the streets either."

Tim nodded. "Right, but...this isn't just about what he'll do on the streets, is it?"

Richard bit his lip. He looked up at Tim. "Jason...Jason died because of his time with Bruce & I. I didn't help him, Tim. I could've, but...I failed him. I'm not sure I'm ready to see him again. Not like this...not back home, in the Cave. I'm not sure I want him to have to suffer again, with Bruce, with us..."

Richard's voice trailed off. He didn't have the gall to admit that he was scared of failing anymore people.

Tim approached Richard & sat beside him on the bed. He slowly raised his hand to Richard's back & patted it softly, but quickly removed it. That was how Tim showed concern for his older brother figure. "I get you, man," Tim started. "I get how bad this is making you feel, but, you can't let this guilt eat you alive. You have to learn to forgive yourself, Richard. What happened to Jason, that had anything to do with you. It happened, though, but now, because of some crazy miracle, you've been given a chance to help the guy. You can make things right again, but it won't make a difference unless you actually do what we need to do to bring him in."

Richard looked up at Tim. Tim reached behind RIchard & held up Richard's face mask that went with his suit. "No more messing around, Nightwing. Bring Jason back home."


	15. Chapter 15: Outlaws

**Chpt. XV: Outlaws**

Richard stood on top of a rooftop in the Star City skyline, waiting. He knew he had to bring Jason home, but, he was still nervous about being able to do it. He felt that he had the ability to do it, but he still wasn't sure if he wanted to. It would just lead to more complications within the Cave, & Richard didn't want to ruin anything else among the family. But he knew he had to. He had to do what was right. He had to bring in Jason Todd.

Richard sighed. He was beginning to question the whole hero thing again. He didn't like having to lie to people, to hurt people constantly. He already did damage to the Titans, to Bruce, to Jason & Barbara...even Cheyenne. Who else would he hurt in the process of being Nightwing?

Suddenly, an arrow was shot between Richard's legs, digging into the gravel of the roof under his feet. The arrow was attached to a grappling rope, which carried a red archer across the city skyline. Arsenal landed smoothly on the rooftop in front of Richard, grinning. "Hey," Roy said.

Richard nodded. "Good to see you back in the suit," Richard said.

Roy nodded back, smiling. "Yeah, it feels good. I see you've upgraded, though," Roy added, gesturing to Richard's blue & black armored suit. "High-tech. Sexy. I dig it."

Richard rolled his eyes. "You have to buy me dinner first," Richard joked, making his way across the rooftop.

Roy followed behind Richard. "So, the Red Hood?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah. Before I left my hotel room, I caught the afternoon news. They're already talking about the Red Hood murders on TV. People are panicking."

Roy shook his head. "I...I just can't wrap my head around this. He...he's back from the dead?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah. I don't know how. I really don't."

"The Pit," Roy whispered to himself.

Richard glanced at Roy, but Roy didn't elaborate. What pit was he talking about? Richard shook his head. It didn't matter. He just needed to find Jason.

Richard reached into his utility belt & grabbed a small PDA device. He tapped the screen, activating the tracking system he had on the device. "The tracker I placed on Todd back at the pier had led me to track him down to the Black Canary's monument. He ditched the tracker, but I noticed something about him. His red hood, the helmet he wears, it's tech. It's electronic, so I decided to start scanning the city for any emissions coming from devices that are traveling quick distances. I filtered out any signals emitting from cell phones & other devices, but there's only one REALLY strong signal that's making big moves across the city."

Roy nodded. "Okay, so that signal is the Red Hood now?"

"Yeah," Richard said. He looked at the PDA screen. "He's actually making his way over to us soon. I want to intercept him."

Just as Richard said this, a motorcycle zipped passed down the street, its engine roaring into the night. Riding the motorcycle was a man with a red helmet. Richard turned to Roy. "You ready?"

"Oh, I've been itching to go for a late night run," Roy joked, getting a head start. He ran across the rooftop, sprinting ahead. Richard followed behind, catching up within a few seconds. Soon, Richard was ahead of Roy, & the two leaped off of the rooftop & managed to land swiftly on the next building. The continued to run across the rooftops, keeping their eyes set on the Red Hood on his motorcycle.

After a while, a van cut out of an alleyway & began chasing the Red Hood. The van opened it's doors & a man poked his arm out, firing an assault rifle out onto the streets. The Red Hood managed to dodge the gunfire, then pulled out a machine pistol from his ankle. He aimed it at the car & shot at its wheels. The car's tire popped, & the car began to swivel out of control. The Red Hood made a hard left as the car continued straight, crashing into a streetlamp.

Richard continued to follow the Red Hood as he sped down an alleyway. Finally, after a few moments, Richard grabbed his grappling gun & aimed it at the motorcycle. He pulled the trigger, releasing a hook that attached itself to the motorcycle's handlebars, & Richard was yanked out over the edge of the building. He landed hard on the concrete, but still held his grip on the grapple. Richard was dragged down the alleyway, struggling to position himself near the motorcycle to climb up onto it. His Nightwing suit was able to keep his skin from being hurt from the concrete, but it still didn't feel good.

After a few moments of the Red Hood driving continuously, an arrow was shot into the Red Hood's back, knocking him off of the motorcycle. The bike flipped over, crashing against the alleyway wall. Richard sighed, finally stopping in his place. He took deep breaths as he was laid across the ground next to Jason. He turned to the Red Hood. "Hey again," Richard panted.

Jason kept his helmet on as he struggled to lean on his elbows. "You can't tell," he said through his mechanical helmet, "but I'm giving you a look."

"I bet you are," Richard grunted, struggling to stand.

Roy ziplined down into the alleyway & gave Richard a hand up. Roy turned to the Red Hood. "Jason Todd?"

Jason glanced up at Roy, but with the Red Hood helmet on, you couldn't tell he was looking at him. "Who's this guy?" Jason asked.

Richard nodded at Roy. "Arsenal. He's a friend of mine."

Jason gestured to the bow in Roy's grasp. "So, you're another archer in Star City. You one of the Green Arrow's protégés?"

Roy bit his lip. "I was," he said. "I'm here as a favor to Dick, here."

Jason turned to Richard, who nodded softly. A sigh could be heard from underneath the helmet, still under a mechanical filter. "Alright, so, what, is this an intervention or something? Where's the new Robin kid?"

Richard shook his head. "He's sitting out for the night, but I still need to bring you home."

Jason groaned, struggling to stand on his own. Richard held out a hand for Jason, but Jason knocked the hand out of his face. He reached over his shoulder & yanked the arrow out of his back, blood splattering. He walked slowly towards his bike & picked it back up.

Roy glanced to Richard. "You sure he's not a zombie?" Roy asked.

Richard sighed frustratedly & walked towards Jason. "Hey," he called softly. Jason ignored him. Richard called out again. "Hey!"

Jason reached up & pulled his helmet off of his head furiously. "What?" he hissed as he spun around to face Richard. His eyes were wide & wild, & his skin was cut & bleeding. His hair was damp with sweat. "What the hell do you still want?"

Richard scoffed. He was speechless, struggling to find the right words. "Jason, I'm...I'm just trying to do the right thing here."

"Oh, by bringing me 'home?'" Jason cried. "'Home,' where that drunk beat me every night? 'Home' where I was constantly reminded of how I'll never be deemed worthy enough to be Robin? 'Home' where I'll always be number two compared to the Flying Grayson?"

Richard felt his a sharp tug in his chest. He hated hearing Jason talk like that. He hated hearing Jason talk about himself, hate himself, all because Bruce put those degrading thoughts in his head. Bruce treated Jason horribly, & now...he resented Richard.

"Jason...you're not me," Richard started. "You're right. You're so much more than that. You're so much more than me."

"No, no," Jason mumbled, turning away from Richard.

Richard stepped up to Jason & grabbed his arm, pulling him back around. "Yes, you are, listen. You're never going to be me, because you're an entirely different person. You're the guy who managed to turn away from Nolan Drake's madness. You're the guy who had the gall to get the Bat's attention by stealing his Batarangs when he first found you. You're the Robin who was brave enough to take on the Joker." With this, Jason turned away from Richard. Richard hugged Jason, holding his head on his shoulder. "But brother, even more than all of that...you came back. You came back from somewhere no one else ever could."

Richard pulled away & held Jason's head, looking into his eyes. Richard saw the tears in Jason's eyes, & he knew that Jason was just a lost, helpless kid, just like when he first encountered him the night of Nolan Drake's arrest. "Please, Jason...come home."

Jason stared back into Richard's eyes. His eyes cried for belief in Richard's words. After a moment, they suddenly grew dead & cold. He stepped back from Richard. "I'm making him pay," he said softly. "I'm making all of them pay."

Richard sighed in defeat as Jason made his way towards the bike again. He stood the bike upright & was readying himself to ride away. He was putting on the Red Hood when Richard reached over his back & removed an escrima stick. He swung the stick at Jason's head, electrifying the Red Hood helmet. Jason went limp, falling over the motorcycle.

Roy stepped up beside Richard & let out a whistle. "That was heartwarming & brutal." Roy turned to Richard. "I bet you break ALL of the women's hearts."

Richard rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm a real lady killer," he mumbled, kneeling down to pick Jason's body up. Jason was significantly bigger in body mass than Richard, weighing a lot more in muscle. Richard struggled to lift him up, but managed to do so anyway.

Just as Richard was about to move Jason's body, Roy gasped softly. "Uh, Dick, we've got company."

Richard turned & saw thugs wielding rifles making their way down the alleyway towards Roy & Richard. Richard quickly reached for a winglet in his utility belt & tossed it at one man, who was knocked out the second it flew into his face. Richard then ran forward & leaped up, bringing a fist down over a thug's face. Richard turned to see another thug raise his rifle at him when an arrow pierced the thug's hand, causing him to drop the gun. Richard glanced over at Roy, who had already began to string his next arrow in his bow. He aimed at another armed thug, then released the arrow.

Suddenly, sirens began to blare. Richard turned to where he left Jason's body, but suddenly couldn't spot the man. Richard frantically searched up & down the alleyway, but through the police sirens, he heard the sound of metal clanging. He looked up & saw Jason climbing a nearby fire escape.

"Dammit," Richard grunted. He shot a look over to Roy. "Rooftops, nine o'clock."

"Way ahead of you," Roy responded before reaching for a handheld crossbow & firing a grapple hook over to the rooftops. Richard watched as Arsenal leaped over the ledge of the building, chasing after the Red Hood.

A police car sped up to the end of the street, where its siren blared & echoed all the way down to Richard. Richard stared down at the police vehicle, watching as the officers quickly hopped out of the car & aimed their weapons at Richard. "Don't even try anything, freak!" one of the officers called out.

Richard smirked & quickly spun on his heel, running down the alley in the opposite direction. Richard ran & leaped over a dumpster, then swiftly jumped across the alleyway, grabbing onto a fire escape on the right side. He attempted to draw the policemen's fire away into a burst of confusion, expecting the men to miss. But suddenly, Richard felt a pinch in his neck.

Richard grunted, slapping his neck. He felt the small dart that he was shot with, & examined it. Richard slowly felt weakened, then a wash of drowsiness began to cause Richard to lose his grip on the metal ladder. Richard fell onto the ground, & everything went black.


	16. Chapter 16: Déjà Vu

**Chpt. XVI: Déjà Vu**

Richard slowly began to regain consciousness. First, his eyesight came back, as his eyelids fluttered open at a slow & steady rate. Then he heard a dripping sound that echoed in the dark room. Richard's eyes adjusted to the dark lighting in the room, & he started to pick out notable observations. Pipes ran across the ground. There was a small crack of light shining towards him, probably the door. There was a table to the right, but it was upside down.

The room was upside down.

Richard scoffed to himself. There's no reason why pipes would run across the ground of any industrial building. Richard was being hung from his legs. Richard sighed. It wasn't the first time he had been hung like that.

Suddenly, a man stepped out from behind Richard, entering his line of vision. The man, appearing at an odd angle for Richard, raised a walkie-talkie to his mouth. "He's awake," the man said softly.

The man stepped away from Richard. Richard let his arms dangle, waiting for the man responsible to enter the room. After a few moments, the door opened. Tobias Church walked in, upside down, followed by four police officers & three thugs of his own. Tobias smiled at Richard, his grin distorting because of his orientation. "Well, would you look at that? I caught me a vigilante, boys."

Richard bit his lip, figuring out his escape plan. He went over his options in his head as Tobias continued to gloat. "You seemed to forget that I have my resources, Nightwing. I had this city's police in my pocket. Nothing has changed since Blüdhaven. I still have my people."

"And I will drive each & every single one of you out," Richard spat back.

Tobias smiled. He turned to a cop next to him. "Isn't he a lot less intimidating without his mask?" Suddenly, Richard's face grew warm & his heart skipped a beat. Tobias let out a low bellow of a laugh. He held up Richard's eye mask. "Yeah, I went ahead & unwrapped this little...anticlimactic surprise. I thought you'd be someone fierce & remarkable. Richard Grayson of Wayne Tech, though, is not a man I have much interest in." Tobias threw the mask to the ground. "Besides, I already told you. I've moved on to bigger things, like the Green Arrow. So you can drop your tough guy act because you're not going to do anything to me. I'm not on your turf."

Richard let out a roar as he swung a fist at Tobias' face. Tobas dodged the punch & whipped his right fist around, backhanding Richard's face. The brass knuckle definitely left a cut on Richard's skin. Richard spat out the blood, reconsidering his options.

Tobias smirked softly. He crossed his big, burly arms over his chest. "I really hope you ARE one of his men, though. After seeing you gang up on me with Mr. Arrow, I figured you'd be the perfect piece of bait to lure him to me."

Suddenly, Richard's solemn face was enlightened, & a cheeky grin grew over his face. "Oh, man, that's fantastic."

Tobias arched an eyebrow. "What?"

Richard nodded softly. "You just gave me an escape route."

Tobias shook his head. "No, no, you misunderstoo-"

Richard cut off the crime lord. "Listen, big guy. This isn't my first rodeo. This isn't the first time I've been hogtied to the roof like this. In fact, this happened to me when I was 16 years old. Believe me, I've seen crazy things."

Tobias glanced at one of the thugs to his side, who shrugged. Tobias turned back to Richard. "I'm sure you have."

"Oh, yeah. Witches, dragons, demons. I've seen aliens & robots, a boy who could turn into animals & a clone with super strength & laser vision. Aside from that, I've seen the darkest & twisted corners of madmen. And worst of all, I've seen the inner workings of one of the most terrifying men in the Eastern seaboard."

Tobias was suddenly engaged in Richard's words. He leaned close. "Who?"

Richard smiled softly. "The Batman," he breathed.

"Ah, was a load of bull," a cop called from the back. "That kid is lying."

"Nah, man, I heard the Bat was real!" someone else called.

"Nope, total urban legend," a third added.

The group began to bicker, when suddenly Church let out a booming roar. Everyone suddenly grew silent. Tobias looked around the room, making sure everyone was silent, then turned back to Richard. "Okay, Mr. Grayson. The Batman. So, why does this guy matter to me?"

Richard smiled. "The Bat is one of the most ruthless men I've ever come across. The fact that he works against crime should terrify you." Tobias stared at Richard, still unsure where he was going with this. Richard cleared his throat. "I trained with him, as the Boy Wonder. I was his protégé, Robin. He taught me everything he knew. Like...how to track down someone being hung up in a crime boss' warehouse."

Tobias scoffed, shaking his head. "Okay, Boy Wonder. Well, you're in MY chains. You're hung up. Batman ain't coming to save your ass. There ain't no Robin to save you. It's just you, Nightwing, & me."

Richard smiled, letting out a soft chuckle. "Did I say I was the only Robin?"

Tobias's face suddenly grew worrisome. He glanced around the room, when suddenly the lights went out. The men began to murmur among themselves as guns were being cocked. They were silent for a moment, breathing heavily. Then, a loud laugh echoed through the warehouse. The laugh resembled that of a young boy.

"Someone get those damn lights back on!" Church cried.

Before anyone could move, there was a loud bang. A small ball had been tossed into the room, causing a flashing light to be emitted, disorientating the entire room. Even Richard had a hard time seeing without his eye mask keeping his vision from being affected. He saw the subtle streaks of red & yellow as Robin flew around the room, leaping from thug to cop, attacking one after the other. Gunshots rang, but hit no one. Suddenly, there was a loud thunk sound as it hit an officer by Richard's face. Richard caught sight of the officer's face. A red arrow was protruding from his shoulder.

After a few moments of intense combat in the dark, the lights flooded back on. By the door, Robin stood with the Red Hood to his left. To Robin's right stood the Green Arrow, with his former ally Arsenal. The four vigilantes were armed & ready to take on the rest of the men.

Richard smiled. Last time this happened, the Bat was saving him & Roy from Oswald Cobblepot's clutches. It only seemed fitting that Roy's mentor did the same for Richard.

"Release Nightwing," the Green Arrow bellowed. "He's not who you want."

Tobias let out a deep roar of a laugh. "Yeah, you're right. He ain't the guy I want tonight." Tobias reached down, picking up a fallen thug's handgun, & shot it at Richard's feet. The gunshot broke the chains tying Richard's feet together, dropping him to the ground. Tobias then pointed the gun to the Green Arrow. "It's you I'm fixing to kill tonight."

Before the Green Arrow could even think to release his arrow strung in his bow, Richard leaped up & swung his arm down over Church's, knocking the handgun from his grasp, then put the man in a headlock. Another officer came from behind Richard & struck the back of his head with the butt of his gun. Richard released Church, but swung his leg around, connecting it to the side of the man's head.

Robin rushed to Richard's side, attacking another man who was ready to strike a blow on Richard's back. Richard caught sight of it & grinned. "Thanks, kid." He then landed a heavy front kick to a man swinging a bat towards Robin, knocking him over. Just as he regained his stance, he whipped out a winglet & swung it around the room, which struck a man pointing a gun at Robin from afar.

Robin saw all of this & rolled his eyes. "Show off," he grunted.

Richard grinned, then turned to see Arsenal & the Green Arrow fighting off men in close combat. Richard noticed them using their bows as blunt weapons, swinging it at men's heads & using it to deflect their attacks. Richard was amazing at the sturdiness of the bows, shocked at how much force they could withstand. Richard saw one man with a machete come up behind the Green Arrow, but was spun around by the Red Hood. He attacked the thug, yanking the weapon from his hands, & slicing the thug's chest. The thug crumbled to the ground lifelessly.

The Green Arrow spun around & shot a glance at the Red Hood. "No killing!" he called in a deep voice. "Not in my city."

The Red Hood scoffed underneath his helmet, still taking on other men & thugs, snapping necks & stabbing backs. "You remind me of the other guy," he managed to mutter. "That's what gets you no results." The Red Hood dodged a gunshot, then aimed his handgun & shot the thug. He then spun around & swung the machete at another thug charging at the Green Arrow, stabbing his back & leaving the machete there. Finally, a cop ran over to hit his gun over the Red Hood's head. The impact of the blow had no effect on him. The Red Hood grabbed the gun, shoved it into his chest, & pulled the trigger, pushing the man down onto the floor. He turned back to the Green Arrow. "It's also why us sidekicks keep dying," the Red Hood grunted in his mechanical helmet.

The Green Arrow watched the Red Hood walk away, but the look he wore almost seemed as though he was considering the words he was saying. Had Jason really just made his point across to Oliver…?

Richard glanced around the room at the fallen thugs & dirty cops, but suddenly realized that Tobias Church was nowhere to be found. Somehow, he managed to escape. Again.

Richard groaned in frustration. He rubbed his eyes hard when Tim bent down & picked up Richard's face mask. "Here you go," Tim said.

Richard smiled, taking the mask & placing it over his eyes. He turned to see the Red Hood approach the two. He raised his gloved hands to his helmet & twisted it off, revealing his damp & sweaty hair. "You know...as screwed up as it is, I think I trust this kid," he said, nodding towards Tim. "He's got dirty blood, but...I can tell he was trained right. He knows blood doesn't make you brothers, but you sure as hell together like you are."

Richard glanced down at Tim, whose smile was stretched across his face. He had won over the late Jason Todd. Richard could see the proudness in his eyes.

Richard turned to Jason. "You know...the three of us have all worn that cape. We're all brothers, Jason. You too."

Jason shook his head. "I'm corrupted. I'm damaged, Dick. Hell, I'm a dead man walking. Despite me wearing that cape, I was never really meant to be Robin. I don't...I don't have that mindset. I never did."

Richard bit his lip. He couldn't beat around the bush anymore. "Jason, please. Come home. Don't make me keep chasing you. Don't make me fail you again."

Jason shook his head. "I'm not making you chase me. You just need to...you need to trust me, Dick. Let me find my way on my own. I'll...I'll get better, man. I promise. I just...I need to work out what I want."

Richard let the words sink in. He initially wanted to take revenge on the Joker & Bruce, but...if Jason was going to take time to think things over, then...maybe it wasn't a lost cause. Maybe there was still hope.

Jason approached Richard, embracing the man in a hug. He outstretched his arm, bringing Tim into the big group hug. After a few moments, he broke away & brought his helmet back over his head. He walked towards the exit, passing the Green Arrow & Arsenal on his way out. He nodded towards Oliver, who nodded back, & patted Roy's shoulder. He turned back to Richard & pointed to Roy. "I like this one, Dick. I could use a guy with his kind of rage."

Richard rolled his eyes & waved Jason off. The masked vigilantes watched as the Red Hood left, walking down the dark corridors of the warehouse.


	17. Chapter 17: This Time

**Chpt. XVII: This Time**

Richard stood in front of the Black Canary monument overlooking the pier on the coast of Star City. He looked up at it, completely unveiled. It glistened in the bright sunlight that October morning. The breeze from the sea cooled Richard off, washing a sense of relaxation over him. He felt as though everything was clear, now. Richard felt alright.

The monument stared over Richard's head, facing the city. Richard felt a slight comfort from that. The Canary, despite being dead, seemed to be watching over Star City. Maybe...maybe she was watching over the Green Arrow. Laurel Lance was watching over Oliver Queen.

Suddenly, Richard felt a presence by his side. Richard turned to find Oliver Queen standing beside him, looking up at the monument. Richard cleared his throat. "Mr. Queen," he said softly.

Oliver shook his head. "Please...it's Oliver."

Richard nodded. "Oliver."

Oliver smiled softly, looking up at the statue. He sighed. "You know...I didn't want her out there, at first." Richard bit his lip. Oliver continued. "She wasn't the first Canary. Her sister, Sara, was the first. She died, & to honor her memory, Laurel wore the mask. I didn't want her to, but...eventually, it just seemed right. I trained her, eventually. I wanted to make her into a good fighter, something her sister could be proud of. I...I never expected her to die. It never really hit me how...how real all of this was."

Richard nodded. He could tell that Oliver was speaking out of genuine guilt. He felt bad for the man. The guilt of this woman's death clearly hung over his shoulders, weighing him down. Richard compared Oliver to Bruce, seeing that the death of a close comrade damaged them both. However, Oliver seemed to be holding himself together way better than Bruce. Bruce seemed to lose his humanity, or rather, however much humanity he had left when Richard met him.

Richard turned to Oliver. "I trained with a man when I was 16 years old. He trained me & raised me. He was like a father, almost. I was training for a really long time, but eventually, I left Gotham. When I came back, I saw that I was replaced by another boy, Jason. But...that boy died fighting. My adoptive father struggled with the guilt of his death, but he handled it a lot worse." Richard sighed, glancing back up at the Canary. "But he came back. The Red Hood was the boy who died. He...he's back. Jason was given a second chance at life, but, I think it's a second chance for my father too, to make things better."

Oliver shook his head. "Laurel isn't coming back. Not...not this time. I don't have a second chance."

Richard smiled faintly. "No, but you do, Oliver. There are people out here, in Star City, fighting crime just like you. I've seen them, I've tracked them down while looking for the Red Hood. They're clearly here because of you. You can do right by Laurel by taking them under your wing."

"But, Laurel..." Oliver said softly, his voice trailing off.

"When Jason died, my father trained another boy, a third one. He came with me here, & he's proven that despite the damage that has occurred, he is more than capable of surviving & fighting alongside. He's rough around the edges, but, I know he'll get there. You trained Roy, Oliver. I know what you're capable of making people into. You can get it right this time. You can make things better."

Oliver stared into Richard's eyes, considering the words that he was offering. Richard really did believe in Oliver's crusade. It was the same desire everyone had when they looked at their home & saw the darkness that lurked around. The crimes that were committed only emphasized the necessary duty that one needed to tackle in order to save their home. Bruce learned that after his parents died. Richard learned that when Nolan Drake came to Gotham. Oliver Queen had his reasons, surely, but the goal remained the same for everyone. They wished for a better world.

"I...I hope you're right, Richard," Oliver said softly. The two continued to observe the Canary monument when Oliver spoke again. "Do you...do you think we did the right thing, letting Jason go?"

Richard sighed. He shrugged. "I honestly don't know, man. I need to have faith that Jason will find his way back. After what he's been through, I guess he...he just needs to discover who he wants to become." Richard looked down at his feet. "When I left Gotham, I did the same thing. I took the time to reinvent myself. I don't regret it, but...there is something missing. I'm just not sure what."

Oliver smiled softly. "It's something worth fighting for," he said. "Aside from saving your city, you...you're going to want to come home, after a long night of doing what we do, & you're going to want to look down at the person that you love & hug them really tight." Oliver looked up at Laurel's statue. "After Darhk, I lost my fiancée, I lost Laurel, & I lost the entire team. My sister...she's better off without this life, & my friend John...I miss him. Not having them around, it definitely gave me some perspective. They're the reason I wear my hood."

Richard nodded slowly smiling at the sentiment. He thought about his own life. He would've fought for Bruce's sake, but...their differences left Richard uneasy about whether he was the reason he wore the mask. Richard thought to his friends, like Roy, who had just recently resurfaced onto the face of the earth. He thought of the rest of the Titans, like Kori & Rachel, Logan & Victor, who all had begun to lose their trust in Richard after what he did. He thought about Conner, & how he wouldn't forgive Richard for what happened to M'gann. He thought about Barbara...but he couldn't bring himself to let his heart break anymore. Richard was truly lost for a reason to fight.

Richard sighed. He looked up at Oliver. "I'm going to head out of town, now," he started. "I'm sorry I couldn't be much help with Church."

Oliver smiled. "It's alright. I know what I need to do now."

Richard nodded. He turned to walk away, then glanced back at Oliver. "And...about the League...if you're ready, let me know. I will bring you in personally."

Oliver's smile brightened just a little bit more as Richard walked away from the Green Arrow & the statue of the Black Canary, watching over Star City.


	18. Chapter 18: Last Goodbyes

**Chpt. XVIII: Last Goodbyes**

Richard parked his car in front of the Star City mayoral office at City Hall & sighed. He had only used Wayne Tech's business merging back with Queen Consolidated as a cover for his trip to the city, but in reality, Bruce would have expected something to have fallen through. Richard was a good businessman himself, but he couldn't go back to Gotham without having something sorted out. He figured he'd try to talk to Thea about something that could come up again in the near future for Wayne Enterprises to invest their funds into.

Richard turned to Tim, who sat in the passenger seat. "So," Richard started, "City Hall. Exciting, right?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "I can tell you're being sarcastic, man. Politics is the world's most influential field of work, & to see the inner workings of that being played at hand is the coolest thing ever, whether you think so or not."

Richard stared at Tim, noticing the genuine passion the boy had for politics. Richard nodded slowly. "Right, sure." He opened his door & got out, with Tim following behind. They walked up the steps into the City Hall building. As Richard opened the door for Tim, the boy stared up in wonder. Richard was shocked at Tim's sudden amazement & interest, but figured that after the way things turned out for them both, it'd be nice to make the kid happy for a minute.

The two walked up to the information desk. "I'm here to speak to Thea Queen," Richard said.

The receptionist smiled. "She's in a meeting right now, but if you don't mind waiting, we can send you to her shortly."

Richard smiled, then walked down towards the hall leading to the conference rooms. Tim followed Richard as he leaned his back against the wall. Tim cleared his throat. "Thea Queen...who's that?"

Richard sighed. "It's Oliver's sister," he said.

Tim nodded. "Wow. The Green Arrow is the mayor, but he's got his sister running the joint. That's a first." Tim glanced down at his feet. "Is...is Thea hot?" he asked quietly.

Richard scoffed to himself, then turned to Tim, who looked back up at Richard in hopes for an answer. Richard glanced away. "Oh, yeah," he muttered.

Tim nodded. "Nice," he said. "Think I have a shot?"

"Not before Oliver takes a shot at you with an arrow," Richard joked.

Tim laughed, & after a few moments, his laugh faded away, & his face showed signs of concern as he considered the consequences of pursuing the Green Arrow's sister. He looked back up at Richard. "Would he actually shoot me?" he asked.

Richard shrugged. "He shot ME, man," he mentioned nonchalantly.

Tim nodded, then glanced over to the door. He raised an eyebrow, then crossed his arms over his chest. Richard noticed his face. Tim got that face whenever he was observing something intently. Tim reverted into his "detective mode" so to speak, suddenly analyzing any aspect that he could about any particular suspect or crime scene. Tim leaned close to Richard. "Sunglasses, low red baseball cap, red hoodie, & looking really nervous. Threat?"

The description of the suspect got Richard's attention. He glanced over to the front door to see Roy Harper walk in, looking incredibly suspicious. Richard rolled his eyes & waved his hand softly, hoping to get the archer's attention. Roy managed to spot Richard & made his way over quick.

"Give us a minute, Tim," Richard said to the boy. Tim nodded, making his way to the information desk & began conversing with her. Richard turned to Roy. "Hey, man."

Roy nodded. "Hey." He glanced around awkwardly. "City Hall. Wow." Roy let out a soft chuckle. "I heard Oliver was mayor, but, I honestly didn't believe it at all. I mean, Oliver Queen as mayor?"

Richard smiled. "Yeah, I can't imagine a rich & brooding vigilante becoming mayor during the day." His mind suddenly trailed off, & he let out an even bigger laugh. "Dude, imagine Bruce as mayor."

The two shared a laugh together that lasted a few moments, when finally it died down naturally. Roy cleared his throat. "Yeah, Oliver told me I'd find you here today."

Richard nodded. "Just last minute loose ends that I've gotta tie up before hitting the road."

Roy nodded slowly. He glanced down at his feet, as if searching for the right words. "I, uh...I just didn't want you to go without me saying goodbye, you know?"

Richard smiled. "Aw. Are you gonna miss me?"

Roy rolled his eyes. "Shut up." He glanced away, then sighed. "But yeah, I will."

Richard couldn't see Roy's eyes underneath the sunglasses, but he imagined that Roy's eyes were watering up underneath. Richard smiled, embracing Roy in a tender brotherly hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, man."

The two continued to hug for a few moments. When they broke apart, they saw Thea Queen standing down the hall from them. Her face was in clear shock, & her eyes were watery as well.

Richard raised an eyebrow at Thea. Why was she crying?

Roy walked passed Richard, making his way towards Thea. He walked in a slow & steady pace, almost as though he was under a trance. As he walked towards her, she slowly stepped towards him. The two were locked in eye contact. Richard thought about how long he knew Roy. He never mentioned a girl in his life. Was...was Thea…?

Thea thrusted herself into Roy's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Roy held her tightly, consuming her with his large arms. The two held each other for a very long time, until Thea slowly pulled away from Roy. She began to speak in a shaky breath. "Roy…"

Roy smiled. "I've missed you," he said softly.

Thea nodded, smiling back. "I've missed you too," she said softly. "After everything…"

Roy nodded. "I know."

The two were silent for a few moments. Roy glanced over at Richard, & Thea glanced over as well. She gestured towards Richard. "So...you know Richard?"

Roy smiled as he nodded towards Richard. "Yeah, we're old friends."

Richard smiled back, slowly approaching the two. "Yeah, once upon a time, I saved Roy from getting his ass handed to him by some mugger."

Roy rolled his eyes. "I told you, I was letting him win."

Thea laughed. "Oh, come on Roy, you can do better than that."

Roy scoffed as Thea & Richard shared a laugh for a moment. Richard continued. "Yeah, but, I didn't realize how much of a badass this guy was until much later though. Someone had trained him really well, &...well, he ended up saving my ass too."

Thea nodded, then glanced back up at Roy. Roy shrugged nonchalantly, not considering his arrival during Nolan Drake's siege as him saving Richard's life. He was being humble, of course. Richard knew how big of a deal it was. Richard could see how proud Thea was of Roy, as she slowly brought her hand up to his cheek & kissed it softly.

Richard glanced away from this, hoping to spot Tim. He was still by the receptionist's desk. Maybe he ought to hurry up. Richard turned back, watching the two hold hands for a moment. "So, now the Red Hood is gone, are you going too, Roy?"

Roy nodded. "I'm going to have to, yeah. I'm thinking Coast City this time."

Thea smiled. She turned to Richard. "And you?"

Richard sighed. "Back to Gotham. But before I go, I just wanted to see if you'd talk to Oliver about finding a company that I could get Wayne Tech to invest their products into, because we really did hit a lose after Queen Consolidated was lost."

Thea bit her lip. "I'll...I'll see what I can look into. I'm really not sure, to be honest, but, I think Kord Industries has a facility here in Star City that you could look into."

Richard nodded. Kord Industries would be good, actually. It would help Richard get the company back into the place he needed it to be within the next few months, & it may even give him some leeway to investigate the technology that Jaime Reyes got from their company.

Jaime. Richard needed to check up on the boy before leaving town.

Richard smiled, looking up at Roy & Thea. He extended his hand out to Thea. "Thank you so much, for everything," he said. Thea shook his hand & nodded, smiling. Richard turned to Roy & hugged him once more. This time, Richard felt himself begin to cry a little. Roy continued to hug Richard.

Roy sniffed a little. "If you need anything-"

"I know," Richard interrupted. "And if you-"

"I'll find you," Roy added.

Richard nodded, then pulled away from his old friend. The two nodded, & Richard walked away from Arsenal & Speedy, needing to make one last stop before heading out of Star City.


	19. Chapter 19: The Message

**Chpt. XIX: The Message**

Richard walked down the hallway leading towards the hotel room where Jaime Reyes was staying at. Richard hoped that the boy was still there, considering that Richard was paying for that room. Richard glanced down at his phone. It was almost noon. He hadn't left Tim alone in the car for long, but still, he didn't want to be gone long.

Richard searched for the room. He saw the 600's & began to make his way down that hall. He saw the room 606 & stopped in front of the door. Richard glanced around the hall. It was eerily quiet in this part of the hotel.

Richard raised a fist to the door & knocked three times. There was no response from inside. Richard knocked three more times. "It's me, Jaime. Nightwing." Richard realized that he wasn't in his suit, but he was more concerned about the boy's well being than his secret identity. Regardless, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't see the boy again.

Richard knocked three more times, only heavier this time. After no response, Richard sighed & reached into his back pocket. He removed his phone from his pocket & opened up an electronic hacking app that Harper had helped Richard design. It was convenient to a certain extent; it took too long to use. But Richard needed to know the boy was alright, after all that had happened.

Richard held the phone near the door's keycard lock & waited for the red light to flash green. After a few moments, the door beeped, granting Richard access. Richard stuffed his phone back in his pocket & pushed the door open. Richard gasped softly at the sight before him.

The inside of the hotel room was a complete mess. It appeared as though a tornado had spun through the halls, wrecking the furniture & the walls. The lights were hardly hanging onto the roof, & the beds & chairs were flipped across the room. There were holes in the walls & electrical sparks pulled out from inside of the insulation. The windows & TV had been smashed, & in the middle of the disaster, was Jaime Reyes.

Reyes was laying on his back, unconscious. Richard ran over & knelt down beside the boy. He noticed Jaime's shirt was ripped off, but there were no signs of any physical damage inflicted on the boy's body. He wasn't hurt, at least, not visibly. But the boy was still knocked out cold. Richard pressed his finger beside the boy's neck. He felt a pulse, but it was faint. He was alive still.

Richard flipped the boy's body around, noticing the blue beetle that Jaime had shown him the other night. The beetle was moving slightly, as it's embedded body shifted its mechanical exoskeleton subtly. The beetle was etched with blue & black markings, & it was glowing a dark blueish hue. If it really was alien tech, then it certainly was being activated.

Suddenly, Jaime gasped, being brought back alive by pure luck & chance. The boy breathed heavily, gasping for air as though he had none. He clung onto Richard's shirt, completely hysterical. He noticed Richard's face as he cooed, calming Jaime down. Jaime's frantic breathing slowed to a steady pace. Richard nodded. "You're okay, kid."

Jaime sighed. He rubbed his temples, then caught sight of his surroundings. He groaned softly. "Dammit," he muttered.

Richard sighed, glancing around. "I'll...I'll pay for this damage," he said quietly.

Jaime took a deep breath & sighed. "N...Nightwing," he said softly. Richard nodded, listening intently to the boy. "I...I don't think the scarab is going to stop anytime soon."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Stop what?"

"Stop taking over," Jaime answered. "It...it keeps fighting me, asking for total control. It has urges to kill, like, all the time. It says it's preparing for something."

"What?" Richard asked. "Preparing for what?"

Jaime shook his head. "I don't know. I saw flashes of things. These...monsters. Lots of monsters, in herds. They came from the sky, man, & they're coming soon."

Richard shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Monsters coming from the sky? Clearly, it was an invasion. Jaime said they were coming soon, but, how could you prepare for an invasion? Kryptonians & Tamarians were different, being peaceful aliens that came for refuge. But...an invasion…

Richard sighed. "What else do you see?" Richard asked.

Jaime took a deep breath. "They're...they're studying something. They…" Jaime's voice trailed off, & suddenly, his eyes fluttered shut. Richard suddenly began to the panic. He felt the boy's pulse again, but he couldn't find one. Richard started to initiate CPR on Jaime, pressing down on his chest. Before he could reach thirty seconds, the boy suddenly woke up again, but his eyes were glowing blue.

Richard moved away from the boy in fright as the boy sat up & stared at Richard. His glowing blue eyes seemed to sear through Richard's soul. The entity within Jaime seemed to want Richard's attention. He wasn't sure if it was the scarab attempting to communicate, or something else entirely. Then it spoke. "Richard Grayson," the entity said, using Jaime's voice while revealing its own unnatural voice that hummed underneath Jaime's.

Richard gulped. "Yeah," he managed to say.

The entity continued to stare at Richard. "The skies will open, & they will come to dominate over us. They've come for the one who controls time & alters realities. Despite each & every variable, it falls upon you, Richard Grayson. You must unite them all."

Richard gasped. "What?" he cried. "What are you talking about? Unite who?"

The entity moved closer to Richard, using Jaime's body to grasp Richard's collar. As he leaned closer to Richard, blue blades extended out from behind Jaime's back. The scarab was evolving, revealing itself to Richard. "It falls upon you, Richard Grayson. You are the constant."

With that, Jaime fell onto Richard's lap. The blue blades retracted back into the blue scarab on the back of Jaime's neck. Jaime began to breathe easily. He stirred, then finally woke again. "Whoa," he gasped.

Richard let out a deep breath. "Yeah, man," he said. "Wow."

The two sat in silence for a while. Richard considered all that the scarab seemed to convey to him. It was a warning, clearly. An invasion was coming. Richard couldn't ignore this. He had to warn someone, ANYONE. It seemed as though Richard had no other options.

Richard sighed. "I know a man," he said. "He runs a secret organization with people like you, with abilities. The League can help you, make sense of this."

Jaime nodded. He rubbed his temples together. "Thank you, Richard."

Richard continued to sit there, with Jaime on his lap, considering all that had happened. What the hell had the world come to?


	20. Chapter 20: The Return

**Chpt. XX: The Return**

Richard sighed as he parked his car on the curb outside of his apartment building. He was glad to finally be back home in Blüdhaven, after the time he spent in Gotham, then tracking down the Red Hood to Star City. Of course, after his work there had more or less been settled, he had to take Tim back to Gotham, where he would have to spend another business day handling the work he was meant to complete with Oliver Queen over to Bruce again.

Bruce wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that his offer with Oliver Queen hadn't fallen through, but after mentioning the possibility of setting up a deal with Kord Industries' division in Star City, Bruce seemed content enough. He had asked Richard to make sure Kord's people would at least hear Wayne Tech's offer.

Richard also had to inform Bruce about Jaime Reyes. He told Bruce about Jaime's connection with Kord Industries, & the mysterious message that the sentient alien beetle gave Richard. Bruce seemed intent on bringing the boy into Gotham soon for an evaluation, but, Richard suggested that he bring him to the Watchtower instead, seeing as the entire League should be on alert instead of just Bruce. Bruce brushed off Richard's suggestion.

That was how it was. Bruce had begun to consider less & less what others thought & only listened to himself. Of course, in the field, perhaps that was a better tactic that could save one's life, but in this case, it was about the well being of a young boy, & possibly the fate of mankind. But sure, Bruce knew best, right?

Richard made sure that he squared things off with Tim before leaving him back at the manor. He wanted to make sure that he was alright, after having a bombshell dropped on him about Jason. Richard made sure that he & Alfred both discussed the matter with Tim again, & made sure that the three got their story straight in case Bruce did end up finding out why Richard really went to Star City. They needed to make sure that Bruce wouldn't find out about Jason, but also make sure that Jason didn't confront Bruce.

Regardless, it was over for the time being. Richard stepped out of his car, glancing up at his modest apartment building, & locked his car. He walked up the stairs leading to the front doors & walked in, greeting his doorman, Eliot. He was fond of the man. He would occasionally ask Richard for advice about a girl he had a crush on that lived in the building. He was one of Richard's only friends in the city, really. Or, rather...Richard was his friend. He felt that their relationship was Eliot's, & not his own.

Richard went to his elevator & hit the up command on the door panel. He sighed. He thought to the people he had lost. Finding Jason again was good, more than good, but...it didn't make things alright, necessarily. Bonds would need to be reformed, but even so, the wounds would still be there. It was like that with the Titans, & it would be with Jason too. Nothing would be the same from here on out.

Richard scoffed. Things always changed. He learned that much already.

The elevator bell rang, & the doors slid open, revealing the bronze interior of the elevator. Richard stepped in & pressed the button for the fourth floor. The doors slid closed & slowly climbed up the building. Richard grinned to himself. He could easily scale the building & reach his apartment from the window within a matter of seconds, but, he occasionally liked to remind himself that he was, in fact, normal.

Richard shook his head at the thought. Why kid himself? He was far from normal.

Richard sighed as the doors finally opened, revealing the red carpeted hallway. Richard stepped out & walked down the left end of the hall, spotting one of his elderly neighbors walking in her apartment. She was carrying several bags of groceries. Richard made his way to her. "Good evening, Ms. Goldstein!"

Ms. Goldstein turned & smiled at Richard. "Oh, hello, Richard! So good to see you again. How was your business trip?"

Richard smiled. "Not very eventful, honestly." Richard nodded to her grocery bags. "Let me bring those in for you."

Ms. Goldstein smiled as Richard carefully removed the grocery bags from her thin hands & held her front door open for her to walk in. "Thank you, son." Ms. Goldstein stepped aside for Richard to make his way into her kitchen, setting everything down. "So, how about that new Star City Mayor, huh?" Ms. Goldstein said.

Richard chuckled. "Oh, Oliver Queen?" Richard shrugged. "Just a glorified playboy millionaire, in my opinion."

Ms. Goldstein nodded as Richard organized the groceries, placing each item in its cupboard. "Yes, reminds me of that Bruce Wayne back in Gotham. Of course, back when he was a pretty boy himself. Now he's getting a little grey."

Richard tried hard not to smirk, but a scoff of a laugh managed to slip out. Ms. Goldstein laughed with Richard. "It's true!" she cried. "Wayne has started going for that Clooney look!"

Richard nodded. "Yeah, that's true."

Finally, Richard placed the carton of milk in the fridge & turned to Ms. Goldstein, who was looking up at her ceiling, as if there was something that she was desperately trying to recall. "I'll tell you what though, that Queen boy definitely has a set of pretty eyes."

Richard nodded, smiling. "Do you need anything else, Ms. Goldstein?"

Ms. Goldstein smiled back, raising her hand to Richard's left cheek & pinching it. "No, son, thank you so much. Just promise me you'll keep being a sweet young man."

Richard smirked. "Only if you promise to stop getting prettier every time I leave town. I can't keep up with your looks!"

"Oh, you're doing alright," Ms. Goldstein joked. She let out a laugh. "Oh, maybe I won't meet that pretty boy Queen anytime soon, but you're certainly handsome enough to be a close contender."

Richard laughed at the remark & said goodnight to his neighbor. He shut the door behind him as he left her apartment & continued making his way towards his. He adored Ms. Goldstein. She was a spitfire who, years ago, used to be a nurse for the military. Richard would spend some mornings taking care of her, & she would tell him stories about the many different soldiers she would tend to during her time in the war. She would describe gruesome details about some of these men's wounds & how some of these men perished. She would also tell Richard about her various amounts of lovers she had over the years. Richard was very amused by the lady. She made him laugh, & he certainly enjoyed playfully flirting with her occasionally.

Although, he did feel a deeper obligation for watching over the poor old lady. She reminded him of Mother Louise, who had died in Gotham after Richard's first year of living in Blüdhaven. Richard felt guilty, having not been around when the woman who gave him a second chance, & had faith in him after he committed an awful sin, passed away in her sleep. He knew she was happy now, & he hoped she would be proud of the man he became, but...he may never know.

Sure, Richard might've seen a little of Mother Louise in Ms. Goldstein, but the two were polar opposites. Still, Mother Louise shouldn't have been alone. Ms. Goldstein shouldn't, either.

Richard approached his door & glanced up at the large 44 over the doorway. Richard reached into his pocket & grabbed his key. He unlocked his front door, & opened it. As he stepped inside, he turned on the light & set his bag down beside his doormat & shut the door behind him. Richard sighed. He was really exhausted. The first thing he wanted to do was take a shower & go to bed.

Richard slipped his shoes off & began unbuttoning his shirt, making his way to his bedroom. He slid his shirt off & dropped it on a chair in his living room. He opened the door to his bedroom & flicked on the bedroom light, about to make his way to the bathroom. However, he stopped in his tracks in shock at what he saw in front of him.

Richard stared at the familiar red headed girl, wrapped in his blanket from his bed, shivering. She was extremely pale, making her auburn hair contrast with her skin. She looked up at Richard, still shivering, & Richard instantly recognized her bright brown colored eyes.

Cheyenne Freemont smiled up at Richard as her chest rose & fell with heavy breaths. "Dick," she managed to breathe before passing out on his bed.

 **End**


End file.
